Is SA ready to usher in a feminist and/or woman President in 2024?

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By

Dr Fikile Vilakazi-Alberts

The 2024 national, regional and provincial elections in South Africa show that very few political parties are thinking about feminist and/or women leadership for the country.

A possibility of a feminist President for South Africa remains a dream amidst the dearth, lethargy and fragmentation of the women and feminist movement and the gender machinery in the country.

Only 4 out of 52 political parties that are registered with the Independent Electoral Commission are led by female Presidents, a shocking revelation in view of a number of new and emerging political parties in the 2024 elections.

With an exception of the GOOD Party led by President Patricia de Lille, we have seen in the 2024 election an emergence of the South African Rainbow Alliance [SARA] led by President Colleen Makhubele, the South African Royal Kingdoms Organization [SARKO] led by President Dipuo Mokola and the Organic Humanity Movement [OHM] led by President Lauren Evanthia Benardo. This is phenomenal given the fact that GOOD has pretty much been the loner female-led political party that is standing firm in parliament in the absence and silence of Agang that was founded by Dr Mamphela Ramphele.

This is happening at the same time as honourable President Cyril Ramaphosa finally signs the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Bill into law, just a week before the national elections, setting a tone for a legislative framework to guide matters related to the eradication of abuse against women and people of all genders in politics, including gender discrimination in positions of leadership, political funding, media coverage and political decision making within political parties and on the public domain amongst other spaces.

A glaring question for this election amidst all of these developments is whether the South African voter is ready to bring in a feminist and/or woman President for South Africa or not? The voting pattern will determine this phenomenon this week.

My take is that we still have a long way to go given the state of our feminist/women/gender movement to emulate countries like Tanzania and Liberia who confidently voted for women Presidents and have been able to demonstrate trust in the political leadership of women in the politics of Africa towards a better for all.

On a positive light though, we remain hopeful that the National Strategic Plan to end Gender Based Violence and Femicide, Vision 2030 will chant a way towards that realization hopefully in the 2024 and/or 2029 election given the pace and tone of our collective consciousness, attitude and movement towards gender equity in South Africa.

Dr Fikile Vilakazi-Alberts, is Director of the Gender Equity Unit at the University of the Western Cape and an independent socio-economic and political analyst.