ANC must lead in equity - Mbeki
2005-03-11 13:51
Cape Town - The African National Congress needs to take the lead in ensuring that South Africa continues to make progress towards gender equality and the genuine emancipation of women, said President Thabo Mbeki on Friday.
Writing in his capacity as ANC president in the party's online publication, ANC Today, he said the ANC had for a long time defined the challenge of the emancipation of women as an integral part of the policies that "define us as a progressive movement".
He said: "Put in other words, we could not claim to be a progressive movement if we excluded or marginalised the objective of the liberation of women."
The party's national general council scheduled to be held at the end of June and the beginning of July, would review the progress made in pursuit of the goal of the emancipation of women since its last national conference in 2002.
Public decision-making bodies
Among other things, the NGC would also consider the proposal that gender parity be achieved with regard to the people deployed to legislatures, starting with the municipal councils to be elected during the next local government elections.
"In this regard, we must point out that the July 2004 assembly of heads of state and government of the African union resolved that all member states would work to achieve gender parity in all public decision-making bodies.
Mbeki said: "Our movement should take the lead in ensuring that our country moves forward decisively towards the accomplishment of the goal set by the AU."
He said: "On the occasion of International Women's Day and the convening of the important Beijing + 10 conference, we convey our best wishes to the women of our country, Africa and the world."
- SAPA