Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema slammed hundreds of delegates at the party’s third Eastern Cape Provincial People’s Assembly in East London on Sunday, 6 November, for failure to elect a single woman into the top five leadership structure.
In the Free State the only female provincial chairperson was removed and replaced by a man.
Addressing both conferences, the Eastern Cape one earlier on Sunday morning, and the Free State conference in the afternoon, Malema told the delegates that he was not proud that voters felt no women were worthy of being in the top five.
“I want to tell you standing here, I am not proud of this top five because I will not be proud of anything that does not have women in it,” Malema said.
“So, in your first task as delegates…you have completely failed to fulfil your mission, and that mission is a mission to make sure that in everything else we do, we put women,” said.
The failure to elect women in the party’s leadership was questioned by Malema.
“Five men were voted in at the Eastern Cape congress, no women, and they (the men) don’t see anything wrong.
“Are you saying in a conference of 1400 delegates, there are no women who qualify to be in the top five?” he asked.
While he applauded the Free State for appointing two women in its top five, Malema expressed his disappointment that the province opted to snub the party’s only female provincial chairperson, Mandisa Makesini.
Malema added that although he is disappointed with the lack of women in leadership positions, he respected the delegates’ constitutional right to nominate whoever they pleased.
He urged delegates to cote differently when they elect additional members of the provincial structures: “Fighters, you still have an opportunity because you are nominating additional members. The constitution says 50/50, but I am saying because of the mess in the top five, it must be 60/40. Women must be more to enhance this image. We can still correct it; we are not too late, and you women must be the ones who stand up.”
Source: News24, Daily Maverick, The Citizen, image from Twitter: @EFFSouthAfrica