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ANC Women’s League to push for more women premiers

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Meokgo Matuba. Picture: Thapelo Maphakela
Meokgo Matuba. Picture: Thapelo Maphakela

The ANC Women’s League, led by Minister of Women in the Presidency Bathabile Dlamini, is determined to put up a fight to ensure that a considerable number of women are chosen as premiers after the general elections on May 8.

The move is likely to cause friction in those provinces where males top most of the candidate lists sent to the Electoral Commission of SA.

In Gauteng, the Eastern Cape, the Northern Cape, Limpopo, the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal, provincial chairpersons topping the candidate list are all men.

In the divided North West, former provincial secretary Kabelo Mataboge – a male – is number one on the provincial list.

It is only in Mpumalanga and the Western Cape where female names are heading the candidates list.

According to a resolution taken at the 2007 ANC Polokwane conference, provinces are supposed to submit three names to the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC), the highest decision-making body between conferences, for consideration for premiership position.

The NEC will then choose one out of three names as a candidate for the premiership position.

Women’s league secretary-general Meokgo Matuba vowed that the league would do everything in its power to ensure that women were nominated as premiers.

“We are going to use the power that we have as the women’s league to ensure that we get 50/50 gender representation. We are going to propose women,” Matuba said.

She said women were capable and made a difference in the areas where they were leading.

“If people do not propose women, we are going to force them to propose women.”

Dakota Legoete, the ANC’s acting national spokesperson, said that in line with the Polokwane resolution, the provincial executive committee would recommend three names in order of preference to the NEC.

“Those three names will then be finalised by the NEC,” he said. “We will deal with the issues of premier appointments after elections.”

Limpopo, which has never had a female premier, is expected to come under scrutiny when the NEC chooses premiers.

City Press has learnt that there is a strong push behind the scenes for a woman to take over from ANC Limpopo chairperson Stan Mathabatha as premier.

Names that have been suggested include the party’s deputy provincial chairperson and former Vhembe District Municipality mayor, Florence Radzilani, and speaker of the Limpopo legislature Polly Boshielo. The two women are on the top 10 list of candidates destined for the legislature.

There is a possibility that Radzilani’s name may be overlooked when three names are submitted to the NEC for consideration of the premiership post.

Radzilani was asked by the ANC’s national leadership to step aside from party activities after she was implicated in the VBS Mutual Bank debacle.

However, Radzilani’s supporters argue that the very fact that she is on the list qualifies her to be nominated for premier.

An ANC regional leader described calls for Radzilani to become the first female premier as a “tribal project” doomed to fail.

“The Radzilani group say that not a single Venda was made a premier. I do not think they will succeed because that woman has been asked to step aside,” said the regional leader.

The ANC’s Limpopo secretary, Soviet Lekganyane, dismissed talk that the province was ready for a woman premier.

“There is no moment for male or female in the ANC. The ANC has no gender. We are looking for the best names, such as the incumbent premier, to lead the province. We will submit three names that will enhance the prestige of the ANC,” he said.

Lekganyane called on those harbouring ambitions to be premier to stop going to traditional healers, saying they would never become a premier this way.

“Limpopo is not a playground. The ANC has been through hell ... because of some of the decisions it has taken,” he said.

“We will only submit names of people with integrity. We are not playing. That is why the premiers we have given you over the years have stood the test of time.”

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