ANCWL slams treatment as gate-crashers

Luthuli House asked to explain entry refusal

The young women’s desk, a structure in the ANC Women’s League (ANCWL), was denied entry at the department of justice and constitutional development in Pretoria during preparations for the upcoming gender summit.

Now the ANCWL is blaming the Presidency and Luthuli House, ANC headquarters in Johannesburg, for allegedly giving orders to the department to deny the women’s desk entry to the meeting.

The young women’s desk was established in 2016 to deal with young women’s issues such as teenage pregnancy.

On Wednesday, ANCWL secretary-general Meokgo Matuba said the league has asked ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule to reschedule a meeting between the league and the ANC leadership.

“We want to meet them as soon as yesterday. We have raised a number of issues with them. We feel that we are not being listened to,” Matuba said.

Matuba said the ANCWL and young women’s desk delegation arrived at the department of justice and constitutional development (DJCD) to attend a meeting after receiving an invitation from Kamogelo Lekubu-Wilderson, director for victim support and specialised services in the department.

“Sadly, upon their arrival at the venue they were denied access by security guards who reportedly told them that they are not on the guest lists and treated them as gate-crashers.

“[Lekubu-Wilderson] never bothered to come to intervene despite being called and texted several times when our comrades were allegedly under severe attack and being manhandled,” she said.

Matuba said it was worrisome that the ANCWL members later received a text message from a government official at DJCD purporting that there was an instruction from the Presidency and Luthuli House that they should be denied access.

“The ANCWL will engage the Presidency and Luthuli House to verify these serious allegations. It is unacceptable for people to be invited to a meeting and be denied access. If the conveners felt that they only want participation of government departments in the planning, they should have not invited our comrades.”

Matuba issued a stern warning to government officials to guard against being used by opportunists who want to use the gender summit to advance factional political battles or as a launching pad of their political careers.

“Our comrades cannot be treated as gate-crashers and be humiliated when in fact they were honouring an official invite to the meeting.” President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Khusela Diko had not responded to questions by the time of going to print, while department spokesperson Steve Mahlangu said they were still trying to put all facts together before responding.