The percentage of women legislators in Botswana has dropped from 18 percent to 9 percent. “If you look at the number of registered voters, most of them are females but they still prefer male counterparts to the females,” Setshwaelo said.
Though many women did not make it to Parliament in the last general elections, Setshwaelo said there has been an indication of growing interest in politics among women. “A lot of women contested but were not voted. This is an indication that people do believe that women are not equipped to hold leadership roles,” she said.
Setshwaelo called on stakeholders to ensure that voters are taught what to look for in a candidate. “ The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) should actively take part on voter education.”
The Deputy Secretary-General of Botswana Congress Party (BCP), Motsei Madisa-Rapelana, blamed the failure of Botswana to meet the 30 percent quota on lack of political will from the ruling Botswana Democratic Party. “We can sign as many SADC declarations as we have but if the ruling party does not believe in them, it is impossible to achieve the set goals,” she said.
She said the government has failed to create structures to enable women to take part in politics. She lamented that most women do not have financial resources. She cited the high cost of campaigns, which hinders some candidates from vying for election.
“Mostly, politics is viewed as a very risky job and women with careers often fear taking the risk as they have a burden of feeding the family. What happens when they lose elections after quitting their jobs?”
She added that another factor that hinders women participation in politics is failure to withstand pressure from their male opponents, especially when they use language that ridicule them in campaigns.
“You will find that there are no structures within the party that will support you as a woman. You are literally on your own,” she said.
Multiple roles played by women in the family could also affect participation in politics. Botswana National Front vice president Dr Kathleen Letshabo told Mmegi that the multiple roles sometimes
hinder women from progressing in politics. However, she pointed out that the few women who often participate in politics do not get elected.
Meanwhile, the council of ministers has recommended that the region adopts a protocol for accelerating gender equality. The chairperson of the council of ministers, Baledzi Gaolathe, confirmed that the ministers’ meeting to prepare for the summit had endorsed the principle of elevating the SADC declaration on Gender and Development to a protocol.
They have also agreed to raise the current target of 30 percent in decision making to 50 percent. The gender protocol campaign follows an audit of the SADC declaration on gender and development that shows that despite the many positive advances, women in Southern Africa continue to be second class citizens in the political, legal, economic and social spheres.
