Publications
Partners
Do you think SA will get a female president in the next 20 years?
Tammy: Actually, at the current rate of our country’s level of crime and corruption, I believe that it’s definitely possible. People are tired of the country being ruled by a political party who put their own personal needs above the people of country – and that at the expense of every single taxpayer.
We all want change, and the level of desperation for that is at such a rate that I don’t think gender of the next president would matter at all.
Jana: Yes
Thembakuye: Yes, it is possible for SA to get a female president in the next 20 years. I feel like younger generations are more open minded to the idea of having a great leader, irrespective of gender.
And with African female leaders such as Joyce Banda (first female president of Malawi) doing such a great job, it inspires South Africans to think differently about gender and politics.
Laura: I hope so. There is a lot of sexism still ingrained in South Africa. Our current president believes a woman’s place is at home popping out babies.
The fact that his sexist attitude does not seem to affect his popularity badly at all says a great deal, as an American president could never dream of being so openly sexist as Zuma is and expect his political career to survive.
That said, it was once believed a black man could never become president in America, and 20 years is a long time, so hopefully things can change enough in South Africa for there to be a female president.
Nolwazi: I think that SA could get a female president but it would depend on the ruling party and the executive of that party at that particular time. The ANC could still be the ruling party in 20 years.
The closest the ANC has had to having women in positions of authority was when Thabo Mbeki was progressive in having Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka as his deputy and having many female ministers.
After his initiation of women empowerment the cabinet has been balanced in terms of gender. I do think that if another party would have the majority votes in 20 years time, then I definitely see a female president as a possibility especially if the presidential candidate is a woman.
Do you think a female president will make a difference in SA?
Tammy: I think so - provided that she’s proven to be someone whose actions reflect the promises she’s made to the country.
Jana: It depends on her political stance. If she’s part of the ANC, then no, I don’t think she can do much to change the way the ANC operates.
Thembakuye: At this point in our democracy, I strongly believe that a female president(provided she is in touch with reality and wants to produce constructive change) can restore the country and the weakened female image that has been spread by current president and ANC expected presidential candidate, Jacob Zuma(the polygamous president who was acquitted of rape charges and openly stated that he likes it when women bow down to him).
Zuma publicly said that a woman who does not get married and have children is a problem in society. And then there was the time when he referred to Lindiwe Mazibuko as Ntombazane(little girl) in parliament.
Zuma has clearly indicated that he sees women as below him. If you have a leader who disrespects and undermines women how can you expect to live in a society that uplifts and protects them?
Laura: Yes. Whatever a female president does, her actions will have an impact as people will be hounding her every move, waiting for her to slip up.Almost every decision she makes will be considered a big deal, and everyone will have an opinion on it.
She may have an impact that is either beneficial for women and the position they hold in society, or devastating. This will depend on whether or not she is an ultimately good or bad president.
Nolwazi: Patriarchy is still apparent in SA and 2013 illustrated this (Anene Booysen, multiple corrective rape cases, Modimolle monster etc) and other cases we do not know of or know of but have not been spoken about).
I must say though that what would be most emancipating would be if the female prioritised women empowerment. Joyce Banda is an example of a leader like this.
Just because a women is in power would not necessarily mean that women’s rights and plights would be on the agenda. If the ruling party of which the female is the presidential candidate of is still oppressive to women or if structural sexism exists in government and the woman cannot assert herself in this, then it compromises the difference she could ultimately make.
Do you think voters are too sexist to vote for a female president?
Tammy: While I certainly think we have a long way to go in terms of gender discrimination (and we really, really need to go a long way), at this rate and with the level of crime and corruption we’re currently experiencing under the current government, people are looking for a leader with a strong and firm stance against crime, an invested interest in the education of people of all races and someone who can promise service delivery – all of which is the antithesis of what Jacob Zuma stands for.
If that leader just so happens to be a female, then I believe that people will vote for her.
Jana: No, I still believe that it has to do with the majority party. If she’s an ANC candidate, she’s got it in the bag. I firmly believe that no matter who the ANC puts forward as their candidate, they continue winning elections for a long while to come.
Thembakuye: The older generation (across all races) is a bit sexist. For instance, when Zanele kaMagwaza Msibi wanted to run for the chairperson position in the IFP, her decision was met with opposition from male members and supporters of the IFP who did not want a woman to tell them what to do.
Zanele eventually left the party and formed her own National Freedom Party. South Africa is still a very patriarchal country, it's a shame. But its even a bigger shame when our leaders hold this backwards belief.
Laura: Yes, I think many voters are too sexist to vote for a female president. Even in countries seemingly more forward thinking than ours, it’s usually men who are chosen to rule. People are used to male leaders. Centuries of patriarchal society has had an unfortunate impact on voters.
Nolwazi: I think that some voters are sexist. However I think that for Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma to be the head of the African Union (AU) in quite a patriarchal continent shows that there has been some progress. However the voting process of our national elections is different as anyone over 18 can vote whereas the AU voting process is different.
Do you think the gender of the president matters at all?
Tammy: As long as the president has an invested interest in the equality of all people, and will focus on doing something about it – be it gender inequality or racial marginalisation, then I don’t think it would matter.
Jana: In a country dominated by racial inequalities (more so than gender inequalities, as in for example, Saudi Arabia where women can’t drive) I don’t think it matters as much.
But it would obviously make a difference to policies and legislation if a female president decides to give more attention to gender based inequalities. But once again, the President is just a mouth piece for the party, I believe.
Laura: Absolutely. A female president makes an up-front statement about pushing forward into a new humanistic society rather than holding onto the male-dominated society of the past.
The chosen president of a country represents that country. If a country has chosen a female representative, it says a great deal about that country’s views regarding gender equality and, by association, other inequalities often faced in society.
Nolwazi: It should not matter. However because I think patriarchy still exists you cannot ignore gender and the issues surrounding it. Therefore to be completely gender-blind could dissolve and trivialise the dialogue that needs to be had for radical transformation to occur in my opinion.
Follow Women24 on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
Tammy: Actually, at the current rate of our country’s level of crime and corruption, I believe that it’s definitely possible. People are tired of the country being ruled by a political party who put their own personal needs above the people of country – and that at the expense of every single taxpayer.
We all want change, and the level of desperation for that is at such a rate that I don’t think gender of the next president would matter at all.
Jana: Yes
Thembakuye: Yes, it is possible for SA to get a female president in the next 20 years. I feel like younger generations are more open minded to the idea of having a great leader, irrespective of gender.
And with African female leaders such as Joyce Banda (first female president of Malawi) doing such a great job, it inspires South Africans to think differently about gender and politics.
Laura: I hope so. There is a lot of sexism still ingrained in South Africa. Our current president believes a woman’s place is at home popping out babies.
The fact that his sexist attitude does not seem to affect his popularity badly at all says a great deal, as an American president could never dream of being so openly sexist as Zuma is and expect his political career to survive.
That said, it was once believed a black man could never become president in America, and 20 years is a long time, so hopefully things can change enough in South Africa for there to be a female president.
Nolwazi: I think that SA could get a female president but it would depend on the ruling party and the executive of that party at that particular time. The ANC could still be the ruling party in 20 years.
The closest the ANC has had to having women in positions of authority was when Thabo Mbeki was progressive in having Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka as his deputy and having many female ministers.
After his initiation of women empowerment the cabinet has been balanced in terms of gender. I do think that if another party would have the majority votes in 20 years time, then I definitely see a female president as a possibility especially if the presidential candidate is a woman.
Do you think a female president will make a difference in SA?
Tammy: I think so - provided that she’s proven to be someone whose actions reflect the promises she’s made to the country.
Jana: It depends on her political stance. If she’s part of the ANC, then no, I don’t think she can do much to change the way the ANC operates.
Thembakuye: At this point in our democracy, I strongly believe that a female president(provided she is in touch with reality and wants to produce constructive change) can restore the country and the weakened female image that has been spread by current president and ANC expected presidential candidate, Jacob Zuma(the polygamous president who was acquitted of rape charges and openly stated that he likes it when women bow down to him).
Zuma publicly said that a woman who does not get married and have children is a problem in society. And then there was the time when he referred to Lindiwe Mazibuko as Ntombazane(little girl) in parliament.
Zuma has clearly indicated that he sees women as below him. If you have a leader who disrespects and undermines women how can you expect to live in a society that uplifts and protects them?
Laura: Yes. Whatever a female president does, her actions will have an impact as people will be hounding her every move, waiting for her to slip up.Almost every decision she makes will be considered a big deal, and everyone will have an opinion on it.
She may have an impact that is either beneficial for women and the position they hold in society, or devastating. This will depend on whether or not she is an ultimately good or bad president.
Nolwazi: Patriarchy is still apparent in SA and 2013 illustrated this (Anene Booysen, multiple corrective rape cases, Modimolle monster etc) and other cases we do not know of or know of but have not been spoken about).
I must say though that what would be most emancipating would be if the female prioritised women empowerment. Joyce Banda is an example of a leader like this.
Just because a women is in power would not necessarily mean that women’s rights and plights would be on the agenda. If the ruling party of which the female is the presidential candidate of is still oppressive to women or if structural sexism exists in government and the woman cannot assert herself in this, then it compromises the difference she could ultimately make.
Do you think voters are too sexist to vote for a female president?
Tammy: While I certainly think we have a long way to go in terms of gender discrimination (and we really, really need to go a long way), at this rate and with the level of crime and corruption we’re currently experiencing under the current government, people are looking for a leader with a strong and firm stance against crime, an invested interest in the education of people of all races and someone who can promise service delivery – all of which is the antithesis of what Jacob Zuma stands for.
If that leader just so happens to be a female, then I believe that people will vote for her.
Jana: No, I still believe that it has to do with the majority party. If she’s an ANC candidate, she’s got it in the bag. I firmly believe that no matter who the ANC puts forward as their candidate, they continue winning elections for a long while to come.
Thembakuye: The older generation (across all races) is a bit sexist. For instance, when Zanele kaMagwaza Msibi wanted to run for the chairperson position in the IFP, her decision was met with opposition from male members and supporters of the IFP who did not want a woman to tell them what to do.
Zanele eventually left the party and formed her own National Freedom Party. South Africa is still a very patriarchal country, it's a shame. But its even a bigger shame when our leaders hold this backwards belief.
Laura: Yes, I think many voters are too sexist to vote for a female president. Even in countries seemingly more forward thinking than ours, it’s usually men who are chosen to rule. People are used to male leaders. Centuries of patriarchal society has had an unfortunate impact on voters.
Nolwazi: I think that some voters are sexist. However I think that for Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma to be the head of the African Union (AU) in quite a patriarchal continent shows that there has been some progress. However the voting process of our national elections is different as anyone over 18 can vote whereas the AU voting process is different.
Do you think the gender of the president matters at all?
Tammy: As long as the president has an invested interest in the equality of all people, and will focus on doing something about it – be it gender inequality or racial marginalisation, then I don’t think it would matter.
Jana: In a country dominated by racial inequalities (more so than gender inequalities, as in for example, Saudi Arabia where women can’t drive) I don’t think it matters as much.
But it would obviously make a difference to policies and legislation if a female president decides to give more attention to gender based inequalities. But once again, the President is just a mouth piece for the party, I believe.
Laura: Absolutely. A female president makes an up-front statement about pushing forward into a new humanistic society rather than holding onto the male-dominated society of the past.
The chosen president of a country represents that country. If a country has chosen a female representative, it says a great deal about that country’s views regarding gender equality and, by association, other inequalities often faced in society.
Nolwazi: It should not matter. However because I think patriarchy still exists you cannot ignore gender and the issues surrounding it. Therefore to be completely gender-blind could dissolve and trivialise the dialogue that needs to be had for radical transformation to occur in my opinion.
Follow Women24 on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
