The armed forces in Southern Africa are moving too slowly towards gender transformation, Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota said on Tuesday.
”It is still considered a man’s thing, war is considered a man’s thing … where is the basis of this backwards attitude of men?” Lekota asked, citing several examples of woman leaders in South African history.
He was speaking at a two-day seminar in Centurion on the role of women in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) defence forces.
”The struggle for equality must be fought … intelligence does not only reside in those who wear trousers and grow beards.”
Lekota said he still had to struggle to convince certain male generals in the defence force to promote women to positions of command.
He said women were also to blame, citing what he called the ”pull her down” syndrome, in which women fight among each other and act behind the backs of those who were promoted.
”It is only when you act in unity that you can support and build one another and become a force to be reckoned with within the defence establishments,” he said.
The participation of women in the defence forces needed to be an integral part of planning.
”Increasingly our governments ponder how to increase the level of participation of women in the defence forces of the countries in the region. We seem not to find the right formula but we must soldier on until viable and sustainable strategies are found.”
Lekota asked the meeting to come up with concrete ideas and time frames for implementing them.
Among the issues being discussed by women were their involvement in peace and security operations, the status of women in defence forces and increasing gender equity in the defence forces. – Sapa