Resolve ANCWL tension - Zuma

2008-07-03 16:05

Johannesburg - The tension between the "elite" and "non-elite" women in the ANC Women's League (ANCWL) needs to be resolved, ANC president Jacob Zuma said on Thursday.

The only way to resolve the "subtle tension" that existed between the two groups was by encouraging all women in the ANC to join the women's league, he told the opening of the league's national conference in Bloemfontein.

"If we fail to do this, the ANCWL will be seen as an organisation whose role is to help elite women get senior positions in government and other sectors," said Zuma.

He said women empowerment needed to be looked at broadly to improve opportunities for all women, not just the elite and educated.

Zuma said there had been an increase in women representation in municipal structures and councils because of the ANC's policy on gender equality, which the party adopted at its Polokwane Conference last year.

"There are twelve women cabinet ministers and 17 men. We have 11 male deputy ministers and nine women deputies."

Abused women and women living in poverty in rural areas also needed the league's help, said Zuma, adding that the benefits of the "women's struggle" needed to filter down to them.

"Women in the rural areas of our country are the backbone of our agricultural economy, and we have to ensure that they are given the opportunity to develop and create thriving rural economies that ensure food security."

The league would elect a new president during the four-day conference.

- SAPA