Zwelinzima Vavi was ”a bit reckless” in the comments he made about women’s equity, said African National Congress (ANC) secretary general Kgalema Motlanthe on Tuesday.
Vavi, the general secretary of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) told a South African Communist Party gathering in Bekkersdal that those who advocate 50/50 representation in the ANC were ”womanisers who wanted more women in power for sinister reasons”.
”History will judge him. I would expect a leader of his stature to be more circumspect,” Motlanthe said on Talk Radio 702.
He said women’s emancipation was a very important issue in the ANC and need not be made ”a ball game”.
ANC stalwart Frene Ginwala, speaking on Safm on Tuesday, said Vavi’s comments were ignorant and sexist.
”Implications of this statement is that women are mindless beings, easily manipulated and are incapable of being in positions of political leadership without dispensing sexual favours,” Ginwala said.
She said she was not sure if Vavi had listened at all the ANC conferences he had attended because the gender policy had been strongly debated.
”No one in the ANC has the right to trample our policies; this is unacceptable and it can’t be tolerated,” Ginwala said.
The national executive committee of the ANC — which met on Monday — took offence at the comments and resolved to demand an apology, as gender equity was not an individual position but a collective in the ANC.
Vavi has since said he will not apologise for the comment — saying he was reflecting the general feeling among Cosatu’s membership.
Gender equity has been described as ”the backbone” of President Thabo Mbeki’s bid to be re-elected ANC president for the third time.
No less than three women candidates would feature in his executive should he win in Polokwane, while the Zuma camp boasts only one woman.
Cosatu’s Patrick Craven said Vavi would support the equity policy in Polokwane, but not the exploitation of women by some people.
Vavi was not immediately available for comment. ‒ Sapa