Wednesday, March 12, 2014

SADC Elections 2014: The Case For Gender Parity

Sadc elections 2014: Case for gender parity

March 12, 2014 Opinion & Analysis
Kizito Sikuka
Zimbabwe Herald

The regional elections are being held one year before the 2015 deadline for Sadc to attain the target of 50:50 representation of men and women in key decision-making positions.

The holding of elections in Southern Africa and the rest of the African continent has always created some interesting reading.

Not short of eye-catching headlines and commentaries, focus is usually on the ruling party’s election campaign to deal with service delivery and unemployment, as well as what the opposition say are the shortcomings of that government.

Little is reserved on other pressing issues such as the need to facilitate gender parity in political decision-making positions.

For example, the Sadc Gender Monitor 2013 notes that participation of women in decision-making structures across the region is low, despite the fact that women make up the majority of voters.

All Sadc member states are signatories to various regional, continental and international instruments that promote gender equality and empowerment, yet most of them continue to have fewer women in political decision-making positions.

Therefore, as the region anticipates at least five national elections this year, there is need for stakeholders to focus more on how Southern Africa could address some of the challenges affecting gender equality and parity.

The five elections in South Africa on May 7, Malawi on May 20, Botswana in October, Mozambique on October 15, and Namibia in November are very strategic as these are being held one year before the 2015 deadline for Sadc to attain the target of 50:50 representation of men and women in key decision-making positions.

According to the Sadc Protocol on Gender and Development signed in 2008 and entered into force in early 2013 after ratification by two-thirds of the signatories, Southern Africa should achieve 50:50 representation of men and women in key decision-making positions by 2015.

Only five Sadc countries are significantly close to the target of parity in parliament, having gone above the 30 percent threshold set previously by regional leaders for representation of women.

These are Seychelles (43,8 percent), South Africa (42,3 percent), Mozambique (39,2 percent), the United Republic of Tanzania (36 percent) and Angola (34,1 percent).

Zimbabwe, which introduced a quota system under the new Constitution, now has 31,5 percent representation in the National Assembly.

The average representation of women in parliament is well short of the 50 percent target agreed under the Sadc Protocol on Gender and Development, even though it is on the increase from 20,6 percent and 23 percent in 2005 and 2011 respectively to 25,8 percent as of mid-2013.

In terms of representation of women in cabinet, only South Africa has surpassed the previous 30 percent target, but more women in the region now hold a wider range of ministerial portfolios such as foreign affairs, home affairs, defence, finance, education, health, and trade and industry.

The forthcoming elections in the five Sadc countries should thus aim at consolidating the gains and improving the achievements.
Increasing women representation in political decision-making positions is necessary as it also advances the rights of children.

However, participation of Southern African women in key decision-making positions may only remain at the parliament, cabinet or judiciary levels as a few women are expected to contest in the presidential elections to be held in 2014.

These are Malawian President Joyce Banda, who became the first woman president in Sadc after succeeding Bingu wa Mutharika, who died in 2012.

She will be contesting against Peter Mutharika, brother to the late Bingu. In Malawi, the president is elected directly by the voters.

Helen Zille, leader of South Africa’s opposition Democratic Alliance, is another woman who is expected to contest against incumbent Jacob Zuma of the ANC.

Gender equality is firmly rooted in Sadc’s regional integration agenda and member states support the fundamental principle that both women and men must be equally engaged in decision-making at all levels and in all positions of leadership.

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