Moswaane said that it was odd for the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Gender Links to be using the gender protocol while it was not signed.

"Gender Links is too sweet to push the government to sign the protocol," said Moswaane.
He said that countries like Swaziland had staged demonstrations to push their government into signing the protocol.

Gender Links coordinator Keabonye Ntsabane said that recession was the main problem preventing government from signing the protocol.

But from "At the Coalface" study, Botswana stated that the provisions are too mandatory.

"Botswana takes its regional commitments seriously, and the government said it does not want to sign up commitments that it can keep," revealed the study.

Itekeng ward councillor Sam Masunga expressed concern, indicating that there was no need for Gender Links to preach the gender protocol without having it signed.

He contended that such actions could contribute to government's reluctance to sign the accord.

"What is the way forward now, should we just fold our arms?" asked councillor and gender activist Rebecca Nshakazhogwe.

Nshakazhogwe added that representation of women in Parliament has declined and observed that the number of women from all political parties in the race for the general elections in October is disappointing. A number of women politicians, including Nshakazhogwe, lost in the preliminary stage of the primaries.

She further said that Gender Links, as an NGO, needed to put the government under pressure to speed up the signing of the gender protocol.

The subject attracted the attention of most councillors as they participated fully and criticised government for the inertia.

But the Mayor Buti Billy, who seemed to be least worried by government reluctance, said there was nothing to worry about because "Gender Links is already ahead on many issues that are listed in the protocol".

On the other hand, he wants the protocol signed as he said "toyi-toying" is not the best solution to problems, rather, a delegation to convince the government to sign the protocol could be dispatched at the most convenient time.

Rwanda has been named as one of the countries that have elevated women to decision-making positions after signing the protocol.

Ntsabane cut the discussion short, as more councillors were eager to give their views.
She said that their attempt to convince government to sign the protocol did not bear fruit but they will not give up.

When the Southern African Development Community (SADC) heads of state signed the Protocol on Gender and Development on August 17, 2008, they committed themselves to achieving at least 50 percent representation of women in decision-making positions in the public and private sector by 2015.

The Gender Protocol is a comprehensive legal document that provides clear objectives, strategies and targets for achieving gender equality in the SADC region.

It comprises 28 targets, as well as mechanisms for monitoring and tracking progress, including reporting, by member states every two years.