A WOMAN CHIEF? WOMAN EMPOWERMENT? This is a question that has been circulating in most analysts minds as South Africa transforms to a democratic all gender embracing society. The answer will be yes, if you are someone who has less respect for culture, may be someone moving with the times. But as a country it’s very important that we consider those who believe that there is no way you can change thier culture. The old toppies in the far rural areas of Qunu in the eastern Cape and KwaNongoma up in the north coast of Kwazulu Natal, who are stamping down with their feet that “we will never be ruled by a woman”. Their thoughts are as a result of poorly addressing the issue of women chieftaincy and culture including the issue of women empowerment. In South Africa we have multiple cultures, and when the democratic government took over, issues of women empowerment were just imposed on people, without any further consultation, without looking at the cultures that were there, without looking at possible consequences of this action. Those days most clans were under the rule of men, it had never occurred that one day a woman will take over. A man had always been the head of the family the head of the clan. Up until now men were not prepared to have woman standing in front of them telling them what to do, others will even ask if she is not on her periods, because if your were, there’s no way you could stand in front of men. If you were in periods as a woman you needed to stay away from man and not even cook for the family as you were regarded as someone dirty.
The issue of women chieftaincy needs to be gradually introduced in our society, we should also consider a lot of things among them the issue of culture and the issue of anger from men , as they will see themselves as being stripped of something that is important to them, an invasion of some sort. The way things were done post 1994 was very wrong and a point should be made that men are not against the empowerment of women be it chieftaincy or otherwise, but at the moment they turn to feel trapped and unimportant, now what do you do when you fell that way? you start panicking to find your place again, and in that panicking period you heck anything that stood infront of you, which is exactly what’s happening today. Men don’t treat women as human beings, they treat tem as objects now more importantly as someone standing in the way. That needed not to happen , if the issues of women empowerment were introduced correctly. I mean will a woman perform her duties if she is a chief, may be , I guess we won’t find out until we give them a chance. What I know is that if we continue with the way we are pushing this issue, forcing it down on people’s throats , we might face a huge block. Please comment @ thokozaninews@webmail.co.za, I would love to hear from you.