JOHANNESBURG – Cosatu on Wednesday criticised the ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) for bringing six male delegates to the party's National Policy Conference (NPC), accusing the league of ”playing into the hands of patriarchy.”

”We find it laughable that the ANC Women’s League could not find even six women amongst the thousands to articulate responsibly on the plight of women in present day South Africa,” the trade union federation said in a statement.



”The federation believes that this statement is unfortunate coming from the president of the ANCWL and indirectly plays into the hands of an intransigent spectre of patriarchy that continues to oppress women in the workplace and in our communities.”

With ANC speaking out on patriarchy, Sisulu is asked why then does ANCWL have male delegates? #ANCNPC — Lirandzu Themba (@LirandzuThemba) July 5, 2017

Sisulu says this is an accreditation issue and committee didn't deal with it. https://t.co/WxMY0r789V — Lirandzu Themba (@LirandzuThemba) July 5, 2017

When asked during an interview why her organisation brought six men as part of the ANCWL delegation, its president Bathabile Dlamini reportedly said women ”were too emotional during debates and needed (male) experts” for sober discussions.

Cosatu said South Africa had thousands of women experts and intellectuals from which the ANCWL could have selected delegates.

”As Cosatu, we believe that the experts required to deal with women’s oppression are the women themselves, who experience it on a daily basis. The federation remains determined to fight alongside other women and gender activists for justice for women, a voice for women and a decent life for women in the economy and in the community.”

The matter crept up again during ANC NEC member Lindiwe Sisulu's NPC feedback session on social transformation on Wednesday afternoon, when a journalist asked how the ANC could speak out against patriarchy when the Women's League selected male delegates.

Sisulu replied that the social transformation commission did not deal with this as it was an accreditation matter.

*View the attached video where political analyst Amanda Gouws gives her views on the ANCWL position.