The ANC Women’s League Provincial Task Team (ANCWL PTT) in the North West is furious after the Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) of the party snubbed its gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) provincial peaceful march in Mahikeng on Friday. The PTT led the march from Mahikeng police station to the party’s provincial office Mphekwa House in Mahikeng.Hundreds of the league members attended the march to raise awareness about what they described as the rising number of GBVF incidents against women within the movement.
The PTT Convenor Wendy Matsemela told Newsnote that women are being victimised every day at the provincial legislature and in various municipalities across the province. “The march was stirred by the recent spate of incidents perpetrated against women in the province, some by ANC leaders. One of the leaders took it upon himself to singlehandedly suspend the Mayor of Tswaing local Municipality, Norah Mahlangu without following proper procedures. There are other incidents that one can mention including the unfair treatment and dismissal of Matlakala Nondzaba, the former Executive Mayor of Bojanala Platinum District Municipality in Rustenburg and the former speaker of the Moses Kotane Local Municipality council who is also the Deputy coordinator of the ANCWL PTT, Gugulethu Mtshali,” said Matsemela. She alleges that the GBVF which has since been declared a pandemic by President Cyril Ramaphosa is rearing its ugly head within the ANC.“We will not allow the GBVF to continue unchallenged as it has been a case in the province. Women within the party are being victimised, I am not sure about other provinces but it’s rife in the North West. There are many things that we (ANCWL PTT) are not happy about, especially that are being done,” explained Matsemela.She further said that they were infuriated by the absence of the ANC provincial leadership to receive their memorandum at the party offices in Mahikeng. “We have taken a decision that the ANCWL Provincial coordinator Nombuyiselo Adoons must forward this memorandum to the office of the Secretary General Fikile Mbalula, because we’re clearly snubbed by our leaders, and we are a league of the ANC.We have a right to raise anything that doesn’t represent us as women within the party. They (PEC) failed to come and receive our memorandum which shows how deep-rooted and stubborn patriarchy is in the province,” said an enraged Matsemela.
