“Today’s national conference is a testament that the ANC Women’s League is alive and well,” ANCWL president Angie Motshekga’s political report began. Before she continued, she detailed the organisation’s challenges.

The conference was supposed to be held in 2013 but problems with branch audits, particularly in the Eastern Cape, prevented it from going ahead. Then in 2014 the league was busy with the national and provincial election campaign. The conference has been repeatedly delayed since. During Motshekga’s term, which ran an extra two years because of the setbacks, the ANCWL added 711 new branches, 41.7% growth, she said, but there have been problems with the management of memberships.

“We’re not self-serving. We’re not distant. We’re not cynical,” said Motshekga, calling on veterans of the league to welcome new blood. She said the ANCWL had to “defeat the perceptions that were confirmed by the many questions asked by the media that there is a public perception that we’re an organisation that is at war with itself, caring about none but itself, (whose) leadership, barring a few saints, are socially distant, and have lost the moral high ground”.

Then there are problems with ANC leaders, said Motshekga, angry at party officials outside of the ANCWL telling it who to elect. “Sometimes (there are) ANC leadership who have the audacity to instruct us on who to choose, as recently happened in other provinces and regions. Because this, chair, is nothing but abuse of office and relationships and should be condemned in the strongest terms. Because patriarchy, chair, does not only create unequal relationships, but patriarchy is also abusive, it is selfish and really it has to be condemned in the strongest terms. Because really we’ve seen a trend that we have never experienced before – where ANC leadership has been completely arrogant. Being told as an organisation on an official platform by ANC chairs and regional chairs who to choose amounts to abuse of office, I want to say, and we must reject it in no uncertain terms.”

ANC spokesperson Zizi Kodwa referred all queries to the ANCWL, which couldn’t be reached for further comment. In preparation for the national conference, many regional and provincial league structures have held congresses recently. The leadership race at the national congress is likely to be between the incumbent Motshekga and Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini. It’s been reported that a number of provinces want Dlamini to take over and the ANCWL in KwaZulu-Natal announced after its May conference she is “one of our matured and dedicated cadres who is capable of taking the ANCWL to greater heights”.

“Yes we can be lobbied, we can discuss, but surely we cannot be told who to elect as our leaders,” Motshekga continued. “For us the struggle to destroy patriarchy requires us as women to be more assertive and brave and fight for our space and rights and say no to abusive tendencies. Not only outside but also in the ANC itself. Our leaders in the ANC should treat us with absolute respect because we deserve nothing less.”

Motshekga spent much of her speech outlining the fight for a better future for women in South Africa. “Women’s emancipation requires a prolonged strategy that will address women’s political, social and economic needs. And this multi-pronged strategy shall address the shortages of women on corporate boards,” she said.

She said the congress particularly needs to focus on addressing the shortage of women in corporate leadership positions, and tackling gender-based violence. “We say all this very mindful of the fact that patriarchy, unlike racism and other social challenges, is subtle and difficult to fight against because it is embedded in the socialisation of societies,” she said.

Motshekga also said the conference should tackle the issue of sex workers, which has been controversial inside the ANCWL and ANC. In a conversation on the issue of sex workers, President Jacob Zuma had asked how a father can tell people that his child is “working” when she’s a sex worker, she said.

“It is our revolutionary task within the ANC and society to be midwives of emancipation and advocate for radical transformation of gender relations with the sole objective of achieving real gender equality,” said Motshekga.

The effectiveness of the ANCWL in driving gender transformation is regularly criticised and most observers are looking at two things. The first is whether it will make a resolution to push for a female president in the ANC’s 2017 congress, with either Baleka Mbete or Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma touted as potential candidates.

“On the lips of many, the question is whether the ANC Women’s League is unafraid to discuss and call for the future president of both the ANC and the Republic of South Africa to be a woman,” said Motshekga. “I have always said … that as women of this country we have always been ready to lead at any level of society since time immemorial. And as women we have always been capable to lead. Our forebears did prepare us for this eventuality of leadership.” That means you’ll have to wait until the congress resolutions to see what they’ll do.

You’ll also have to wait to see the outcome of the other key issue at the congress – who is elected to lead the ANCWL. The winner could be influential when it comes to choosing Zuma’s successor.

Motshekga said that in terms of advancing gender equality in South Africa, Zuma recently asked her what the ANCWL should do differently. That’s what this conference is for, she said.

Addressing the conference on Thursday after answering questions in Parliament earlier in the day, Zuma warned delegates against focusing only on elections rather than on policy and improving the organisation. He made a similar call for unity and building the ANC at the Youth League’s non-elective conference in 2014. Both organisations continue to struggle for legitimacy. DM

Photo: Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga fields questions from reporters on education in Cape Town, Tuesday, 26 February 2013. Picture: GCIS/SAPA