Youth leader blames Women’s League for male-dominated ANC leadership

ANC youth leader Sizophila Mkhize blames the ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) for the paucity of women in influential party positions.

Mkhize spoke on the sidelines of the ANC’s highly contested 55th national elective conference on Sunday. “The enemy of women is women,” said Mkhize. 

This follows an upset on Saturday night over nominations for the first deputy-secretary position. 

Nomvula Mokonyane, who initially appeared to be running uncontested for the position, faced a challenge after delegates from the Northern Cape nominated Tina Joemat-Pettersson from the floor. Joemat-Pettersson’s nomination was supported by the Eastern Cape and Western Cape, allowing her to reach the required threshold of 1,109 nominations to make it to the ballot.

While the nomination of Joemat-Pettersson is in line with the party’s democratic contestation values, Mkhize claimed these developments were a ploy — emanating from the women’s league — to pit women against each other.

“Nomvula is a member of the women’s league that has been fighting for women’s struggles. She comes in, but the women’s league national task team fundraises a woman to contest another woman,” Mkhize claimed. 

The youth leader insisted that while the women’s league structure is unelected, they should carry the banner of women higher than that of men.

“The women’s league was supposed to put the woman’s struggle forward. Instead they pit women against each other. Women are going to be separated, others will be voting for Nomvula, others will be voting for Tina — [that] is the making of the women’s league,” she said.

Mkhize’s criticism of the women’s league extended to other positions. She believes the structure should have thrown its weight behind women for the top positions too.

“There were four candidates for the position of president before we came to Nasrec. There were Lindiwe Sisulu and Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma — women. There was Cyril Ramaphosa and Zweli Mkhize — men. The women’s league chose a male.

“As much as it is an interim structure they must understand the plight of women [their constituency],” she added. 

Mkhize emphasised her disappointment with the league’s decisions: “Us as a generation of young women, we are going to learn nothing from them.”