Decline of gender parity under Zuma discussed Correction

DELEGATES to the ANC’s policy conference in Midrand got down to the nuts and bolts yesterday when they split up into 11 commissions to debate topics that included economic transformation, education, health, international relations and gender equality.

After spending most of the day discussing the party’s “strategy and tactics” and “organisational renewal” documents, delegates changed tack to focus on sectoral policy documents.

These commission debates, which were scheduled to kick off at about 5pm, were expected to continue late into yesterday evening.

Fact

The gender commission, chaired by Hlengiwe Mkhize, the Deputy Minister for Economic Development, was to grapple with the fact that gender parity had actually regressed under Zuma’s leader- ship. Despite establishing a fully- fledged women’s ministry when he came to power in 2009, Zuma has presided over a decline in women’s representation in leadership positions in the party and the state.

“The current leadership of the ANC, especially the (regional and provincial) chairpersons and secretaries, reveals that women’s representation is at its lowest (level since the last policy conference in 2007),” the gender policy document notes.

It also points out that the problem is particularly acute at the local government level, where past gains have been reversed as the party struggled to fill municipal positions with female candidates.

Problems

To address these problems, the ANC has proposed that new laws be introduced to make its 50/50 gender parity policy legally binding – on the government and the private sector.

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga is under heavy fire for the Limpopo school textbook fiasco.

Briefing journalists yesterday, Justice Minister Jeff Radebe said it was a “matter of shame” that, six months into the year, children were without textbooks.

He said the director-general of Basic Education was reported to have said yesterday that 95 percent of the textbooks had now been delivered to Limpopo schools. IN AN article on June 15, “Lift alert after KZN man dies”, Theo Kleinhans was named as the chairman of the Lift Inspectors Association of South Africa (LIASA).

Sajeev Singh is, in fact, the national executive chairman.

Singh pointed out that Dr Kleinhans, though a respected consultant of many years standing and long-serving member of the LIASA executive, could not speak on its behalf.