By Virginia Muwanigwa – SANF 04 no 39
South Africa has, through its new cabinet appointments, delivered on its commitment to ensure at least 30 percent representation of women in politics and decision-making, as outlined in the 1997 Southern African Development Community (SADC) Declaration on Gender and Development, adopted by member states.
In the new cabinet announced on 28 April, there are now 12 women out of 28 full cabinet ministers, up from eight in the last government. Women deputy ministers have risen to 10 out of 21 up from the previous eight out of 16.
In choosing the provincial premiers who are regarded as engines of delivery, especially in building and protecting the economies of major cities with the collaboration of local municipalities, President Mbeki has appointed four women out of eight new premiers.
Women now make up 43 percent of the South African cabinet, designed to implement policies that were developed over the past 10 years to deliver services to people.
Representation of women in top positions in the national and provincial legislatures, as well as the diplomatic corps has also vastly improved as a result of the ANC’s 30 percent quota system in its structures.
“We’ve … sought to address the gender issue to further increase the number of women ministers and the number of women deputy ministers compared to the 1999 cabinet,” said the president when he announced the new cabinet.
The government’s actions are expected to have a trickle-down effect to other national institutions. “The significant number of women appointed as ministers and deputy ministers is testimony to our commitment to gender equality, and should serve as an example and an incentive to both public and private institutions across society,” says ANC spokesperson Smuts Ngonyama.
Looking beyond the figures to responsibilities, the 12 women are in the key portfolios of agriculture and land affairs, communications, education, foreign affairs, health, home affairs, housing, justice, public works, minerals and energy, public services and administration, and water and forestry.
Among these, three are new, namely Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, Buyi Sonjica and Naledi Pandor who are responsible for home affairs, water and forestry, and education respectively
Female ministers retained include Agriculture and Land Affairs Minister, Thoko Didiza who heads the crucial department responsible for the challenge of acquiring and distributing land to landless peasants. She also has to empower blacks in the agriculture sector, currently dominated by whites.
Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi will be able to continue, as Minister of Public Services with the high profile roll-out of services to communities, including innovative approaches to e-governance that she started in the same ministry.
Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka is responsible for the transformation of the Minerals and Energy sector. Having introduced a transformation process of transferring ownership of the country’s natural mineral resources to blacks without destabilizing the market, she gets a chance to conclude the process.
Others retained are Ivy-Matsepe-Casaburri with communications, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma with foreign affairs, Lindiwe Sisulu with housing and Bridgette Mabandla, heading the justice and constitutional affairs ministry.
Analysts says the women in Mbeki’s cabinet hold strategic ministries that will play a considerable role in delivery on election promises. Stella Sigcau, as public works minister, will be expected to deliver on the president’s promise to halve poverty by 2014 by embarking on a major public works programme.
Ebrahim Fakir, an analyst with the Johannesburg-based Centre for Policy Studies, says the new cabinet “… is indeed a good team, with strong people in key positions including finance, justice and welfare. It shows the president has been thinking of the so-called five ‘C’s: continuity, competence, co-ordination, compatibility and coherence.”
The health minister, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, also retained, faces the challenges of combating the HIV and AIDS pandemic. The Treatment Action Campaign, one of her biggest critics, says it is committed to an improved relationship with minimal confrontation.
Among the men, President Mbeki retained Jacob Zuma as his deputy, Mosiuoa Lekota in the defence portfolio, Ronnie Kasrils in intelligence and Trevor Manuel at finance. Home affairs minister, Mangosuthu Buthelezi, also leader of the Inkatha Freedom Party was however dropped amid allegations of insubordination.
The youth were also recognised through the appointment of Malusi Gigaba as deputy minister of home affairs. New appointments designed to accommodate other political parties were of Mosibudi Mangena, of the Azanian Peoples Organisation (AZAPO) and Marthinus van Schalkwyk, of the New National Party (NNP).
President Thabo Mbeki has just fallen short, by a minimal margin of seven percent, of the target set by the 50/50 campaign, where gender and women’s organisations worldwide have been lobbying for equal representation of women and men in government and other structures. The campaign was launched in 2000 by the Women’s Environment and Development Organisation (WEDO) working with at lest 170 organisations in 52 countries. (SARDC)
