Gender balancing key in ANC’s good story

IT IS often said that until the lion learns to write the tale of the hunt, the tale of the hunt will always favour the hunter. I found myself recently quietly reflecting on this profound observation with which I totally agree, hence I found it quite appropriate to briefly reflect on the journey our country has undertaken.

There is a natural challenge in this reflection as it coincides with two events – the first being the two decades of democracy in our beloved country and second, that we are a few weeks away from the next national and provincial general elections and the collective reflections on our shared journey may be debatable to some.

I will, however, not shy away from giving a narrative that decisively confirms that indeed ours is a good story to tell.

It is a good story to tell, not because the national census of 2011 confirms it is from both a qualitative and quantitative context. Ours is a good story because I, being part of the generation that was raised in the Ciskei, lived in the Ciskei, and experienced firsthand the excesses and brutality of both the homeland and the apartheid regimes.

I know what the standard and quality of life was like, not only in Mdantsane but in other townships and villages before the advent of democracy in 1994.

I have witnessed the resilience of our people in fighting an unjust system and striving to build an alternative society that is just, non-racial, non-sexist, inclusive and prosperous, and in which both black and white can live.

I witnessed firsthand the collapse of the apartheid system and the dismantling of the homeland system in our country.

I witnessed the raw emotion of the peoples of my native land when they, for the first time, exercised the right to self-determination 20 years ago when they voted for a government of their choice and expressly said never again would they be spectators in the affairs of their country, but rather they will be active participants.

I know as a matter of fact that in the last 20 years more police stations have been built.

I know more clinics have been built.

I know there are more libraries.

I know that there is greater access to recreational facilities for all, than there ever was.

I know more has been done in the last 20 years to restore the human dignity that was stripped from my countrymen over centuries in our country.

I know this because with each passing day, my fellow countrymen are defining a new destiny for themselves.

South Africa’s good performance in gender matters is evident in both international and regional indices.

On the Social Institutions and Gender Index of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), South Africa ranked fourth out of 87 countries in the 2012 index and was the top-ranked country in Africa.

On the Southern African Development Community Gender and Development Index, South Africa ranked second in 2012, with a score slightly lower than that of the top performer, Seychelles .

The proportion of women in the National Assembly reflects a steady increase of participation by women. In 1994 there was 25% female representation, in 1999 it was 30%, in 2004 it was 33% and in 2009 it stood at 44%.

I know we have not all missed the now normal reality of having more women in Buffalo City driving the latest German sedans. I raise this because it is a direct result of our shared journey and progress as a country and because it reflects our commitment to building a truly non-sexist society.

In this context, I challenge the private sector to join the public sector in transforming the face of management to reflect the demographics of our country and ensure that the work place and boardrooms are non-sexist. The legislative framework is a tool at the disposal of the private sector to become more compliant with employment equity targets.

In the Eastern Cape, we have had two female premiers in the last 20 years.

At the helm of the executive of Buffalo City we have a female executive mayor. The leader of the Buffalo City council, the speaker, is also female.

This was never a reality in the political architecture of the period preceding the 20 years we celebrate this year, and it is in this regard that we note “the goodness of remembering”.

On official international indicators, South Africa does well. This does not, however, mean that the country has reached gender equality. But when the indicators are extended to the further indicators suggested by the Millennium Development Goals gender task force, South Africa does relatively well on some indicators.

I cannot in this single reflection exhaust all the human achievements our country has made in different faculties of human endeavour, save to insist that although challenges remain, the commitment to resolve these remains as well.

We can safely say indeed ours is a good story to tell. The very existence of a multiplicity of narratives on our story is indeed a reflection of a thriving and vibrant democracy. This is the “goodness of remembering”.

Temba Tinta is the deputy executive mayor of Buffalo City Metro and the regional treasurer of the ANC in the Buffalo City Region.