WOMEN WHO CHOOSE TO CHALLENGE
BDP Youth gathering divides opinion
FOUR historic events have taken place around the world so far this year, and all of them involved women; • Nigeria’s former Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-lweala, took office as Director General of the World Trade Organisation on the 1st of March; the first woman and African to do so. • Early February, the Olympic Games host nation, Japan, saw a former Olympian, Seiko Hashimoto, become the Tokyo 2020 organising committee president following the forced resignation of a chauvinist octogenarian who had uttered sexist remarks. • America, now has the first woman VP, Kamala Harris, black and of South Asian descent. • Rwandan Economist, Monique Nsanzabaganwa, was elected as Deputy Chairperson of the AU Commission, the first woman ever to be elected to the significant position.
All these can be attributed to recent campaigns and social justice movements such as #metoo, Black Lives Matter and various other protests across the world aimed at putting an end to, among other ills, gender bias and inequality. Inspired by these developments, and in celebrating International Women’s Day, Voice Woman spoke to Hospitality and Tourism Association of Botswana (HATAB) CEO, Lily Rakorong, and recently reelected Botswana Basketball Association (BBA) President, Boineelo Hardy.
With the hashtag #Choosetochallenge, this year the UN International Women’s Day theme is “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19”. What does that mean for you? What do you choose to challenge?
LR: It means ensuring equality for all, and that’s only achievable when the playing field is level. We need to demystify stereotypes because women have the same abilities as men. Women need to be allowed to demonstrate those abilities.
I choose to challenge the very stereotypes.
BH: Traditionally, this presents an opportunity to pause and reflect. We need to understand our environment and make resolutions to act, and have the necessary conversations as we operate in this covid-19 world especially for women in business, making decisions that will take us where we want to be and push the women agenda.
I choose to challenge men in leadership positions to really acknowledge that they have male privilege, and for them to use that to be supportive of women’s efforts. Without the involvement of men, we cannot go far.
In your opinion, why is it imperative that more women take up leadership positions? Why is gender equality important?
LR: It’s important because women are by nature community builders, they’re nurturing and sensitive to the needs of others, as such the more women we have in leadership positions, and the more the communities are uplifted.
BH: Entities need diversity in leadership because women lead differently to men. We are multi-taskers, which is a great leadership skill. Women are nurturing, good communicators and sensitive to fine details. Any organisation that embraces diversity is emboldened to scale heights.
In celebrating women’s achievements, what actions do you intend to take to raise awareness against bias?
LR: We need to rise up and support each other; men do that all the time. Women compete more than they support each other, though I have been fortunate to have both women and men contribute to my success. We have started talking with government regarding easy access to land, funding and skills development for women in the hospitality and tourism sector ...to see what empowerment programmes can benefit women such that the wealth of the tourism sector is in their hands as well.
BH: Share the journeys to success; tell the story behind the story so that young men (and women) can see what women go through to get to the top. It forces men to introspect.
At Hatab, in terms of management and overall staff complement, what is the ratio of women to men?
LR: Hatab is truly womenled. 82% of our staff members are women, and we have proven that women can indeed work together efficiently and harmoniously. All one needs to do as a leader is provide the necessary support.
On International Women’s Day, what important message do you want to send out to young women?
LR: Young people are in a better place than our generation and our mothers’ before us. Of course they have their own challenges but the world is their oyster; they need to appreciate the myriad opportunities on offer and grab them, treat each other better, and see each other as allies. Identify mentors to help them succeed in their careers.
How do you tackle stereotypes attached to female leaders?
BH: The key lies in both genders holding hands towards the same objective of smashing gender stereotypes. When people say women don’t support each other, I agree, only partly. Societal structures condition both the boy and girl child to see men as leaders; family head, chiefs etc. It’s harsh to expect women to behave in a manner they were never conditioned; we need to be a little empathetic. It’s the social structures that have created these stereotypes.
Do you believe progress has been made towards gender equality? Is gender equality even achievable in our lifetime?
LR: Progress has indeed been made - though it may not be at the desired level - because the hospitably industry used to be male-dominated. There’s a shift because we are seeing more women begin to assume key leadership positions in the tourism space; for example, women lead most hotels in the capital.
BH: We are an interesting dynamic; moving in the opposite direction of the world. In the corporate space, Botswana has made strides; we are in the top 10 countries where women are likely to lead an organisation, especially in the financial sector. However, in politics, less than 4% of representation of women is in parliament. This is also true for sport, out of over 40 associations registered with Botswana National Sport Commission; women lead only 4 - a similar picture to what our parliament looks like. We see a huge disparity where when it comes to willingness to lead.
We need to see more acceptance of women into the political sphere; more assertive and purposeful women choosing to challenge and boldly say I am going to stand.
I choose to challenge men in leadership positions to really acknowledge that they have male privilege, and for them to use that to be supportive of women’s efforts. Without the involvement of men, we cannot go far.
BOINEELO HARDY
Amid a rise in Covid-19 cases in the region, a recent Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) youth conference in Sehithwa village has raised angry eyebrows.
Locals in the area have slammed the 6th March gathering, attended by various high-ranking BDP officials, including the party’s Secretary General, Mpho Balopi, for ‘recklessly compromising public health’.
Quick to air his complaints, area councillor, Petros Tjetjoo, insisted the event, held at Ngami JSS hall, was unnecessary and selfish.
The Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) member noted a council meeting, due to sit that same week, was postponed indefinitely because of rising numbers of Covid-19.
“It is not about them as the BDP. It was so selfish of them to convene when all large gatherings have been suspended due to rising numbers of Covid-19. As it is, our region is more like an epicenter. People are dying every week because of this scourge and that is why I stand here today condemning the BDP’S ill act,” blasted Tjetjoo, who also serves as Deputy Chairperson for Maun Administration Authority (MAA).
“We expect them to act responsibly. Covid-19 regulations have been created for us all to observe,” continued the pumped-up politician.
Turning his ire on Balopi, Tjetjoo added, “How can a whole Minister come here, gather young people from our area and compromise our health, knowing very well that people are dying in large numbers in our region.”
Responding to Tjetjoo’s comments, BDP Youth Wing General Secretary, Otsile Machona, dismissed the UDC man’s complaints as ‘someone seeking mileage over nothing’.
“Was he a delegate? What I can confirm to you is that, yes, the meeting took place. The hall appeared to be full because we observed social distancing, but our numbers were below 50. We observed all
Covid-19 protocols, sanitised, wore protecting facial masks and kept the register of attendees,” Machona explained.
Asked why they felt the need to convene with coronavirus rampant in the North West, Machona hit back, “We have our own reasons, you can’t ask me why people feel the need to go to church for instance!”
For his part, the new BDP Regional Chairperson, Reaboka Mbulawa, admitted to having had reservations when he first heard about the meeting.
“I only came to office last week so at the time I was not in any structure of the party. But I can speak on a personal level because I only knew about the meeting three days earlier. But I did ask them why they felt the need to gather when every weekend we bury our people who have died from Covid-19. I asked them why they could not wait until the pandemic abates because as leaders we need to lead by example. But they promised they would observe all Covid-19 regulations and, besides, when a party elder has confirmed attendance, I trusted they would do the right thing.”
DEATHS
Last week, Acting Head of District Health Management Team (DHMT), Sandra Maripe, confirmed the district had recorded 48 Covid-19 related deaths since the start of the year.
Putting that into context, in 2020 there was only one fatality recorded.
The North West currently has 368 active cases, with 12 hospitalised at Letsholathebe II Memorial Hospital in Maun while the rest were quarantined.
An additional 1,282 people were placed on home isolation for monitoring purposes following their close contact with those who have tested positive for Coronavirus.
CASE NO: CVHGB-004102-19