Deputy Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces and parliament member – Sylvia Lucas

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to the Deputy Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces Sylvia Lucas from the African National Congress, who was formerly the Premier of the Northern Cape.  Firstly, she differentiates between the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) from the National Assembly, emphasising the NCOP’s mandate to ensure provincial interests are taken into account. We discuss the nationwide review of the Women’s Charter, which addressed aspects of equality, fighting violence against women and girls and the state of implementation of articles in the Women’s Charter. Unfortunately, lack of implementation remains an ongoing concern. We discuss women in political leadership, remarking on the importance of pipeline processes to draw women through political structures and how the effects of patriarchy negatively impact on women’s perceptions of each other. The Deputy Chairperson highlights an example of the under representation of female ward councillors, in part attributed to the fact that female voters voted for male candidates over female candidates, which illustrates a lack of confidence or belief in their abilities. We consider ways to help encourage women to pursue leadership roles, from support, to mentorship and recognition. Paraphrasing her grandmother the Deputy Chair reminds us that, “Flowers can grow in the ghetto”.  Tune in for more…