Durban - The Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) says it will be advocating for other provinces that have traditional structures to provide more avenues for the empowerment of female traditional leaders as women in the institution face a number of obstacles.
The CGE chairperson, advocate Nthabiseng Sepanya-Mogale, was reacting to the initiative by the KZN Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) to provide equipment and training to female izinduna, labelling it an excellent idea that needs to be replicated in other provinces.
Last week KZN Cogta MEC Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi handed over laptops with 3G cards to the female izinduna and secretaries of traditional councils in a move aimed at enabling them to execute their duties efficiently.
The MEC distributed the items during an engagement with female izinduna and secretaries of traditional councils from across the province held in Empangeni, northern KZN.
The department also used the platform to engage with female izinduna and secretaries about best practices and the challenges they faced.
Cogta said the distribution of tools and stationery marked a new beginning for the traditional council, as the historic gesture honoured the department’s commitment to equipping traditional leaders with the necessary skills and tools to execute their roles effectively.
Nonhlanzeko Dlamini-Mkhize, chairperson of traditional secretaries in KwaZulu-Natal, said they felt valued, especially as many of them initially started their jobs voluntarily.
The CGE chairperson said it was refreshing to see female traditional leaders being given the assistance they needed to execute their tasks, noting that they had been ignored in the past. “This is an excellent initiative whereby a section of the community that has been marginalised by the institution of traditional leadership is getting the kind of assistance they need in order to perform their duties,” said Sepanya-Mogale.
“What has happened is groundbreaking,” she said.