Reserving 30% of wards in local elections in Lesotho exclusively for women is ”sexual apartheid”, an opposition politician said on Thursday.
Lesotho’s Local Government Act reserves 390 out of 1 272 electoral divisions — to be contested on April 30 — exclusively for women.
”The law that says some electoral divisions will be reserved for women is invalid since it is inconsistent with the country’s Constitution, which does not allow for any kind of discrimination.
”This is sexual apartheid. We will challenge the Local Government Act in the courts,” said the leader of the opposition Basutoland African Congress, Molapo Qhobela.
He said his party plans to nominate male candidates to stand for election in the reserved electoral divisions.
Major General Metsing Lekhanya — the leader of the Basotho National Party (BNP), the main opposition party, and Lesotho’s former military ruler — said: ”This is manifestly an act of discrimination … and it deprives the electorate of such electoral divisions the right to vote for any candidates of their choice.
”It should be clear that [the] BNP supports the political empowerment of women. But we are opposed to the gender discrimination that has now been formalised into law.”
Other civil society and human rights groups are reported to be preparing a constitutional case on the issue.
”It is not that we are against the empowerment of women. But we want the government to follow the correct channels of doing so,” said a lawyer consulted in the matter.
However, women’s groups have hailed the government’s move as a victory for women, who have been marginalised and discriminated against in politics for a long time.
The director of gender in the ministry of gender, youth, sports and recreation, Matau Futho-Letsatsi, has appealed to all political parties not to fear the government’s policy.
She said women are as capable as men, and given the opportunity, they can bring change and make a contribution to their country.
The reservation of some electoral divisions for women has its roots in regional and international instruments that Lesotho has signed, including the 1997 Southern African Development Community Declaration on Gender and Development. — Sapa