As the ActionSA Caucus in the Joburg Council, we are appalled at how the Speaker of Council dealt with Councillors who threw derogatory slurs at the Executive Mayor, Cllr Mpho Phalatse, and other women Councillors, at its 2nd Meeting held on Thursday, 02 December 2021.
At the council meeting, several male councillors, whose identity is yet to be established, were heard hurling salacious and sexist insults at woman councillors, such as calling the Mayor “baby girl” and another woman councillor, whose identity we are not yet certain of, “blonde girl”.
It is now firmly established that markers of Gender-Based Violence extend even to terminology and language used, which language connotes deeply held misogynistic views and shows little to no regard for women in general. Today it may very well be language, but tomorrow it is likely to manifest in physical violence – both of which are deeply problematic and should be tackled head-on.
In the meeting, the Speaker was called upon to invoke Rule 78 – to refer councillors contravening Council’s rules to the Ethics and Disciplinary Committee – on Councillors who committed serious contraventions of Council Rules during the meeting.
Instead of acceding to the request, we were appalled to hear the Speaker hiding behind what he referred to as “limitations with the technology in the Council chamber”. The Speaker didn’t even so much as entertain a process of investigating the matter (to identify and isolate culprits) for further referral to the Ethics and Disciplinary Committee.
The very fact that a Municipal Council, sitting atop what is styled as a “world-class African city”, uses technology so outdated that it cannot identify which of its constituent councillors said what during its recorded meeting beggars belief and should cause all Joburg residents to ponder as to the efficacy of its digital systems.
As ActionSA, we believe that this Council, and the other 277 Councils for that matter, can and must start setting a much-needed tone of zero-tolerance to GBV and misogyny and then follow through with ensuring that the municipalities over which we perform oversight execute that which is within their jurisdiction to curb the scourge.
As leaders of society, we must lead from the front in the fight against patriarchy and women abuse. When society observes us behaving in particular ways, many take it as a norm to be followed.
At national government, we will drastically increase the bail requirements for repeat offenders accused of gender-based violence and sexual crimes. We will also increase support systems to victims of gender-based violence, including increased funding for women’s shelters and ensuring training for officials and office bearers include sensitivity training for cases of GBV.
I have addressed a letter to the Speaker of Council, in which we as ActionSA offer him an opportunity to reflect on how he handled this matter which comes right in the middle of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.
In the letter, we have also offered him an opportunity to take Council into his confidence, at its next meeting to be held on the 9th December 2021, as to how he intends to better handle such issues, in a manner that inspires confidence in himself and his office, as well as his ability to deal decisively with all matters that not only bring Council into disrepute but also put a stain on our resolve to tackle the scourge of violence against women and girl children.
