SOUTHERN AFRICA: SADC Protocol on Gender

...Member states racing against time to have more women in leadership

With just five years left before 2015, the target year set for SADC member states to ensure that at least 50 percent of all political and decision making positions are held by women, it looks like most countries are unlikely to reach this target.

Head of SADC's Gender Programme Magdeline Mathiba-Madibela told journalists in Windhoek yesterday ahead of the 30th jubilee summit of SADC heads of states, that most member states which held elections last year have regressed in the representation of women in Parliament and Cabinet positions.

South Africa is the only SADC country that comes closest to the target of 50 percent women representation, with the proportion of women in the house of assembly having increased from 33 percent to 45 percent after the 2008 elections.

This ranks South Africa the third highest globally, after Rwanda and Sweden.

Following South Africa among the SADC member states is Angola with a 38 percent women representation in parliament while Tanzania stands has 32.6 percent.

Malawi experienced an increase from 14 percent to 22 percent in the May 2009 elections, while Mozambique realised an increase from 38 percent in 2004 elections to 39 percent in the 2009 elections.

Namibia's women representation declined from 30.8 percent to 22 percent, with only 16 women now in the 72-member National Assembly after the general elections in November last year.

In Botswana, the proportion of women representatives in parliament dropped from 11 percent to 6.5 percent after the country's October 2009 elections.

Another country showing a decrease in women representation is Mauritius with their May 2010 elections, also showing a 0.5 percent decrease in women's representation in parliament, sliding from17.1 percent to 16.6 percent.

Zambia maintained 14 percent, after the 2006 cabinet re-shuffle.

Mathiba-Madibela noted that in regards to status of women representation at Permanent/Principal Secretary level, Lesotho scores highest with 44 percent followed by Mauritius with 35.5 percent and Seychelles with 35 percent.

Zimbabwe has achieved 37 percent women representation at the deputy Permanent/Principal Secretary level, while Mauritius and Lesotho stand at 34.5 percent and 31 percent respectively.

At Director/Head of Department levels, Lesotho again has the highest representation by women, at 48 percent, Botswana 43.3 Mauritius 34.6, and Namibia 32 percent.

Mathiba-Madibela said: 'Many SADC countries have missed or are missing opportunities to increase women's representation in political positions.

Where significant progress is realised in member states, it is largely as a result of conducive electoral systems such as Proportional Representation and legislated quotas.'

Only six SADC Member States have legislated quotas and these include Namibia, Tanzania and South Africa.

In facilitating the achievement of the gender parity goals, the SADC Secretariat has developed the 'SADC Regional Framework for Accelerating the Achievement of the 50 percent target of Women Representation in politics and decision making positions by 2015.'

In the judiciary system of member states, Bostwana and Malawi are the only ones that have women Attorney Generals.

Zambia has a woman Chief Deouty Justice while Lesotho and Malawi have women Registrars of the High Court.

Tanzania has more women judges than men with a commendable 55.6 percent representation at the Court of Appeal and 56 percent at the High Court, said Mathiba-Madibela.

Botswana has scored 43 percent of women Judges at the Industrial Court. Mauritius also has a representation of women as Regional Court Presidents which accounts for 67 percent and 45.5 percent of women judges while South Africa has attained 44 percent representation at the regional courts.

The SADC region has made significant strides toward its goal of achieving gender equality in education.

Several member states have achieved gender parity in primary education by the year 2010. These member states are Botswana, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, the United Republic of Tanzania and Zimbabwe.