Electoral Bill and It's Gender Implications

Meeting report

JOINT COMMITTEE ON THE IMPROVEMENT OF LIFE AND STATUS OF WOMEN MEETING
14 September 1998
ELECTORAL BILL AND IT'S GENDER IMPLICATIONS
 
SUMMARY
The Electoral Bill was looked at through a gender lens. Several presentations were made to the Committee.

DETAILED MINUTES
Mr Jomo Khasu of the Constitutional Affairs Committee gave a brief input during which he looked at specific clauses in the Bill which focus on women. Most of the legislation is about women’s freedom to participate in the elections and freedom of choice vis-a-vis voting for the candidate of their choice.

Ms Devali Jain, who is in South Africa representing DAWN, spoke of their experiences in India of mobilising women to vote as women across political barriers. She submitted that women can use their vote as an assertion of collective power and thus influence political platforms in this way. She also spoke of the need for quotas as a way of opening up politics for women, but stressed the need for it as an interim measure.

Glenda Fick of the Electoral Institute of South Africa (EISA) looked at women as candidates, voters and policy-makers in the elections. She shared the results of the research her institute had done in this regard. She also discussed the gender implications of the requirement of the bar coded ID as the requirement for voting. It seems that women will be disproportionately affected in certain provinces where they are in the majority.

It was stated at the meeting that Home Affairs  will accept a temporary registration certificate (which is issued upon application for the correct ID documentation) where there is a delay in obtaining the ID book as sufficient to register for voting. (Member Hajij).

Miriam van Donk of GAP looked at women as candidates at the local government level. She examined different electoral systems (ward systems and proportional representation) and what they meant for women. She also stressed the need  to increase women’s representivity and encouraged interest groups to lobby government in this regard.

It was suggested that a conference be co-convened by EISA, GAP and Parliament to examine the gender implications more closely. The need for swift action was stressed.

At this point, about 40 women from Guguletu and Mannenberg came into the Committee meeting. They were on a tour of Parliament arranged by GAP and were going to have an opportunity to raise issues of concern with the members of the committee over lunch.