Nwabisa Makunga: Why female leader talk is moot

“Oh no, she didn’t!” This was my first thought as I listened to former public protector Thuli Madonsela share her views on what has become one of our favourite national topics: a female president.

“I would love to have a president who is a female,” Madonsela said in response to a question at the Cape Town Press Club on Monday.

“But I would hate for that woman to be a proxy. That would be worse than having a man,” she said.

Predictably, her statement went viral.

For one, South Africans generally get excited when hearing the highly restrained Madonsela make what we view as political statements.

Second, this response was largely read as a jibe at Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who some believe would be an extension of President Jacob Zuma’s disastrous reign, should she be elected to lead the ANC in December.

Whether indeed Madonsela intended to be understood in this context, I do not know.

She may well have been sending a broader message against habitually placing women in positions they are not necessarily suitable for, to serve the interests of men who hold legitimate power.

Nonetheless, her statement adds value to the unfolding debate on this issue. It raises important questions about the reasons behind the increasing call in some quarters for a woman president.

Let me first state that for obvious reasons I believe that the discussion about whether or not South Africa is ready for a woman president is a nobrainer. Seriously, stop patronising us.

There is nothing to be “ready” for.

It is the reasons behind the call that I believe should be interrogated so that in our progressive journey as a nation, we guard against creating unrealistic expectations of those who lead us.

Allow me to pick on just two of the reasons I have heard put forward so far by those calling for a madame president.

The first is what being led by a woman would mean for South Africa’s image as well as, I suppose, the historical significance that comes with it. The rationale behind this, although not incorrect, is largely superficial in my view.

It is rooted on sentiments.

It suggests that such a move would boost brand South Africa and solidify our posture as an advancing democracy that is one of the modern pillars of the African continent.

The second, and perhaps most debatable, is the assertion that having a woman president would be a blow to the culture of patriarchy and would bring change to women across the board. My difficulty with this reasoning is two-fold.

On the one hand, it blindly assumes that women are the same. That by virtue of being women we inherently carry similar convictions and we are equally troubled by the same things.

It assumes us to be more in tune with and therefore likely to champion solutions to certain social ills more effectively than men. With respect, I believe this is a stereotype.

It is not the rule of thumb and cannot be understood as a inherent female trait that ticks the presidential box.

Further, it places an unrealistic expectation on a female head of state to usher in a wave of automatic gender transformation, in a patriarchal system that does not equally impose upon itself the responsibility to change.

There can be no doubt that, on paper, South Africa has among the most progressive gender policies in the world. Our failure – as with everything else – is the implementation of such policies to bring about real, meaningful change in the lives of ordinary people.

The truth is that there is no woman (or man) with a magic wand to whip this nation out of its patriarchal ways.

We have got collectively to work at changing our flaws, both systemic and otherwise.

For example, it will take much more than having a female president to change attitudes and unfair practices that oppress women in the workplace, or to lift the glass ceiling often placed on women in corporate boardrooms across the land.

The mere election of a woman to the Union Buildings will not change the attitudes of monsters who find their worth by violating women in their homes. Nor will it necessarily implore our criminal justice system to give such cases the attention they deserve.

I believe it is pointless to have a debate about a woman leader if we are not prepared to take responsibility equally for what we each need to do genuinely to transform this country. We need collectively to define what it means to be a nation where gender equality is a norm.

We need to understand what we must change about our society and commit to doing so in our own spaces. In our homes, communities, schools, offices, university campuses and in every place of governance, we need to agree (and disagree) on how to bring meaning to our constitutional right to equality.

And then we need to elect a leader who is committed to this cause. One who understands that our country is in desperate need of practical solutions to the many crises that challenge us from all sides.

A leader with the courage and political will to cultivate a culture of excellence and accountability in government.

Perhaps most of all, one that respects the sanctity of the rule of law.

If he is a man, so be it. If she is a woman, even better.

Nwabisa Makunga is deputy editor of The Herald.