12 December – Gender

On our Gender slot today we had an interview with Judith Smith – South African Media and Gender Institute Director about comments made by Cosatu Secretary General Zwelinzima Vavi regarding 50/50 representation. Vavi recently told a South African Communist Party gathering in Bekkersdal that those who advocate 50/50 representation in the ANC were "womanizers who wanted more women in power for sinister reasons". His comments are said to be reckless as they imply that women are mindless beings who were easily manipulated and incapable of rising to positions of political leadership without dispensing sexual favours. If you would like to know more about SAMGI you can contact their offices at (021) 424 0653 or visit www.samgi.org.za Cosatu was unavailable for comment.
Pic: www.cosatu.org.za

We also spoke to Edwina Smith who is the Organisational Manager of the New Women’s Movement and Nomaxabiso Tyawana - who is part of the Young Women’s Chapter. The New Women’s Movement is an organization that looks at women of the grassroots. It has been in existence since 1997 with branches throughout the Western Cape. In 2004 they launched the Young Women’s Chapter where young women are skilled to organize their own study circles and have their own executive. For more information you can contact their offices at (021) 448 2364 or send them an email to nwm@interkom.co.za.

We then closed off the show with Caroline Davids from Intersect. Intersect was founded in 2002 as an organising principle through which HIV/AIDS and violence against women and girls should and could be powerfully addressed. For more information you can contact (021) 633 5287 or visit www.intersectworldwide.org