WOMEN WHO ARE LEADING US BY JESSIE TAYLOR
Women take their place in GNU Cabinet
T
his year, South Africa's Cabinet, formed under the Government of National Unity (GNU), has seen women taking up 43% of the seats.
This year, women comprised 55% of eligible voters and were represented by 42% of the 14 866 candidates on the IEC’s nominations list. Following the polls in May, the African National Congress (ANC) obtained 40% of the vote, losing its majority. As no party won a sufficient majority to be able to form a government, a coalition government was formed between 11 political parties. In 2019, South Africa's Cabinet reached gender parity for the first time. In the new GNU Executive of 77 ministers, there are 31 women
(40%). Women’s representation in Parliament declined from 46% in 2020 to 43% in 2024. The 2024 Women's Political Participation (WPP) Africa Barometer found that South Africa is one of only six African nations to have achieved 40% or higher women's representation in their lower houses. The country was ranked 22nd globally for gender parity in its government. The WPP Africa Barometer found that women's representation in parliament has increased by just one percentage point since 2021. In African parliaments overall, there was an increase from 24% to 25%. Women's representation in cabinets by appointment increased from 22% to 24%
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The WPP Africa Barometer estimated that it would take until 2100 at the current rate for gender parity to be achieved. Africa is home to the global leader of WPP (Rwanda, with 61% women in parliament) but also one of the lowest (Nigeria, at 4%). According to the WPP Africa Barometer, 41 of the 54 African states have implemented some form of quota to increase women's political participation, including South Africa. WHY GENDER PARITY MATTERS With just six years to go until 2030, it is unlikely that the majority of African countries will meet the 50% target set in the Sustainable Development Goals. According to the WPP Africa Barometer, many