Cape Town, June 2000

Memorandum regarding the Local Government Elections
prepared by the Conference
"The Local Government Elections: Challenging Gender Politics at Local Level"
hosted by the Gender Advocacy Programme (GAP)

On 31 May - 2 June 2000, the Gender Advocacy Programme (GAP) hosted a national Conference "The Local Government Elections: Challenging Gender Politics at Local Level". Participants represented a variety of stakeholders including government, civil society organisations (both rural and urban), Councillors, the IEC and the CGE. At the Conference, participants expressed concern about a number of issues related to the forthcoming local government elections. They can be summarised as follows:

Although political parties generally acknowledge that women are under-represented in local government and that they are suitable candidates for positions as Councillors because of the roles women play in their community and in political parties, only the ANC has an explicit policy on the representation of women on candidate lists. As yet, there is little indication that the majority of political parties will adhere to the provision in the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act (1998) to ensure that every alternate candidate on their candidate lists is a woman. Political parties which emphasise notions such as ‘merit’ and ‘quality’ as the principal selection criteria for party candidates, demonstrate that they are oblivious to the fact that there are many ‘women of quality’ who find systematic barriers in their path to attain political positions. Allowing women to join the contest for political leadership without levelling the playing fields may enable a relatively small number of privileged women to gain access to political office, but it will not be sufficient to achieve equal gender representation. Rather, in the short term, a systematic approach such as the one recommended by the Municipal Structures Act is required to achieve gender parity on local Councils. The adoption of a systematic approach to ensure equal representation of men and women, such as a quota system, does not suggest that women do not have the required abilities to become Councillors. Rather, it reflects an understanding that the legacy of patriarchy is deeply ingrained in society and that the responsibility to overcome this legacy does not rest with individual women only.

In the absence of a clear commitment, let alone a strategy, to increase the number of women Councillors, participants noted with concern that political parties may be tempted to shift women ward Councillors to their Proportional Representation (PR) list so as to be seen to adhere to the provision in the Municipal Structures Act. However, it is equally important to ensure that women are equally represented as ward Councillors, especially since ward Councillors tend to be regarded as more representative than PR Councillors.

Given the expected reduction of Councillors, it is clear that there will be intense competition for a position on the PR list or for a position as ward candidate. In this context, it is quite likely that the call for equal representation of women may not be considered favourably. However, the Conference urged political parties not to sacrifice principles of democracy, representivity and gender equity in this competitive climate. These principles would also apply when it comes to the selection of candidates for executive positions of Councils.

Various surveys and opinion polls conducted prior to the 1999 general elections have indicated that women identify different priorities for the government than men. Not surprisingly, these differences are closely related to the gender division of labour between men and women. For women, issues such as the provision of water and electricity, improvement of roads, education and family welfare were most important, whereas men highlighted general facilities, the economy and corruption. More women than men indicated that they think party manifestos should take gender differences into account and that there should be a law to force political parties to adopt a quota system for women’s representation. However, there is little evidence that political parties have taken these gender differences in election priorities into account during the 1999 elections.

At the Conference, participants interrogated political parties on their policies regarding gender-sensitive service delivery as well as their policies to improve the standard of living of specific groups of women, such as domestic workers or rural women. As yet, few political parties seem to have adopted explicit policies on these matters, let alone have mechanisms in place to ensure their effective implementation. Local government is considered to have great potential to transform the lives of women by addressing their practical gender needs. Moreover, it is also the sphere of government that is likely to have more a immediate impact on the social, economic and political empowerment of women. However, if political parties do not recognise this potential and give their local representatives a clear mandate to deliver on this promise, local government will continue to deliver services in a gender-blind manner, thus ignoring its constitutional obligation to promote gender equity.

The Conference observed that the responsibility for gender transformation should not be seen as the sole responsibility of women Councillors, but rests with all Councillors and all political parties.

Internationally, voter turnout for local government elections tends to be lower compared to national elections. The same trend was visible in the previous local government elections in South Africa, when only 49% of registered voters voted. Although local government is equally important as national or provincial government, the electorate seems less knowledgeable about its significance. Recent marketing research conducted for the Gender Advocacy Programme (GAP) showed that 77% of interviewed African and Coloured working class women are aware of the forthcoming local government elections. In fact, 83% indicated that they intend to vote. However, when asked whether they knew why the local government elections were being held, only 43% responded that they knew exactly why or had some idea why. This shows that a lot of work needs to be done to raise awareness about the significance of local government for community development and the promotion of social equity. Without this, it is likely that voter turnout will once again be relatively low.

Although the majority of registered voters during the 1999 general elections were women (at a ratio of 54 : 46 compared to men), research showed that women experienced a high amount of pressure not to vote in the previous local government elections, more than in the 1994 general elections. Many rural women feared intimidation; as a result, some of them did not participate in the elections. Other women apparently awaited consultation with their migrant husbands over who to vote for.

The Conference noted that it is crucial that voter education does not only focus on the technical aspects of voting, but also highlights that the vote is secret, particularly to women who may think that they need to vote according to their husband’s preferred choice. Moreover, voter education must also include information about the purpose and functions of developmental local government. This is particularly relevant in rural areas, where local government structures will be established for the first time. In addition, voter education programmes should address the responsibility of local government (and the political parties represented on a particular local Council) to eradicate gender imbalances in communities. This information allows the electorate to hold individual Councillors and the Council as a whole accountable to their constitutional obligation to promote gender equity. Political parties, municipalities, the IEC and NGOs have an important role to play in this regard.

An informed and capacitated electorate is key to ensuring a high voter turnout. The use of dual and triple ballots (for people living outside metropolitan areas) is likely to make voting a complicated procedure. Voter education is therefore crucial. However, as noted above, voter education should not only focus on the technicalities of voting (including who may vote, when, where and how to vote), but also on what the vote signifies.

Voter education methods and materials may, often unconsciously, reflect gender biases. Voter education materials must be prepared in a format that is accessible to illiterate or semi-literate voters. In rural areas, face-to-face education campaigns are considered more effective than the use of print or broadcast media. Radio is considered to be a more effective medium to channel information to women than print media, because of lower literacy levels among women and because women tend to lack time and opportunity to read. Similarly, information materials should dispel gender stereotypes, by portraying both men in women as Councillors or as voters.

The Conference noted that the IEC, in its responsibility to coordinate voter education, needs to be aware of these potential gender biases and should develop guidelines to ensure that voter education is not biased against women.

Similarly, a gender perspective seems to be lacking from issues related to electoral processes and administration. Concern was expressed that the Municipal Electoral Bill does not allow for special voting procedures for pregnant women, ill or elderly people. The Conference also discussed issues related to:

• Accessibility of voting stations, generally combined with lack of reliable transport and absence of child care provisions. This set of problems tends to disproportionally affect women in rural areas, who are likely to be forced to walk long distances to a voting station, often with small children.
• Safety of women, particularly when going returning from voting stations after dark. Fear for personal safety is likely to be more severe in areas where women have to travel long distances between home and their voting station, or where long queues delay voting procedures.
• Intimidation: women tend to be more vulnerable to intimidation than men, be it either from male relatives, traditional or religious leaders, or political parties. In rural areas in particular, women tend to be considered as ‘soft targets’ for political intimidation.
• Appointment of women as electoral staff, in particular as Municipal Electoral Officers. Although efforts have been made to increase the number of women in electoral management positions, the IEC itself has expressed concern about the under-representation of women in these positions.

Gender concerns related to electoral processes and electoral administration need to be addressed by the IEC and, in some respects, by political parties. In addition, some of these gender concerns could be addressed by the Municipal Electoral Bill.

Media is a powerful tool for disseminating information. However, it is clear that media is not neutral, but represents particular interests and perceptions. These can either be in support of the status quo, or they can challenge dominant views and perceptions. During the period leading up to the 1999 elections, the Media Monitoring Project analysed the media on behalf of the Commission on Gender Equality. This analysis shows that instead of challenging gender stereotypes, the media reinforced negative perceptions about women in political leadership. Also, in seeking ‘expert’ advise on a particular topic related to the elections, almost 9 out of 10 times (87%) these ‘experts’ were men. In only 8% of cases were women used as sources of information. Similarly, gender concerns or gender equality hardly featured in reporting on election related issues.

The Conference noted that political, racial and gender biases in the media often distort the reality, or reflect a partial reality. This was echoed by women Councillors and other women politicians attending the Conference, who indicated that they find themselves either invisible, stereotyped or otherwise misrepresented in the media. However, the Conference also observed that the media holds enormous potential to be a tool for gender transformation and to facilitate a process of attitudinal change in society, for example by presenting positive images of women in political leadership roles. Participants, women Councillors and other organisations were urged to tap into this potential of the media.

In addition to the concerns expressed above, the Conference also discussed other -by no means less important- issues, such as:

• the need to transform local Councils and municipalities to become more conducive work environments for women Councillors, based on experiences of women Councillors;
• the need for appropriate support mechanisms and capacity building programmes for women Councillors;
• the need to challenge gender stereotypes and attitudes amongst the electorate regarding women candidates, particularly at ward level - even though it is widely acknowledged that even at ward level, political parties are the real gatekeepers to political office;
• the need to establish ward committees as a mechanism to facilitate public participation in accordance with the Municipal Structures Act, which includes a provision calling on Councils to ensure that women are equitably represented on these committees;

Various stakeholders have already started the process of preparing for the local government elections. Participants at the GAP Conference "The Local Government Elections: Challenging Gender Politics at Local Level" have committed themselves to play their part in ensuring that the forthcoming elections are not only conducted in a gender-sensitive and inclusive manner, but also signify a new beginning and lay the foundation for gender equity in local communities. We call on all other stakeholders to help us in making this a reality.

For more information regarding the Conference, please feel free to contact Mirjam van Donk, Project Coordinator: Local Government & Gender, Gender Advocacy Programme (GAP).