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Home / Women implored to take up leadership positions
Women implored to take up leadership positions
2018-08-06Staff Report 2 Nuusita Ashipala ONGWEDIVA – The Swapo Party Women’s Council was asked to equip women with the necessary skills needed for them to take up critical positions across government sectors and at traditional level. The Governor of Oshana Region Clemens Kashuupulwa said whilst Swapo Party has implemented the zebra-style gender balance a few years ago, there are only a handful of women regional councillors today. The governor also said he recognises that while only a few women are willing to take up the challenge, women equally do not have faith amongst their own peers and discriminate against each other during the election of such positions. Currently, the Oshana, Oshikoto and Ohangwena regional councils’ leadership only has one female councillor while Omusati has none. “We are not resisting against women to take up these positions, but the women decline to take up positions and they equally do not have faith to vote for other women,” Kashuupulwa said. Kashuupulwa was speaking at the regional pilot training for Swapo Party Women’s Council (SPWC) in Omusati and Oshana on gender, political advocacy and leadership. The workshop was hosted in partnership with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiffung organisation in Ongwediva on Friday and Saturday. The aim of the pilot workshop was to create awareness and help the district coordinators in the two regions to understand issues of gender, political advocacy and leadership. This in turn will help them roll out the training in their respective districts. Also speaking at the training, the SPWC secretary Eunice Iipinge said the training was imperative as it discussed pertinent issues that were previously considered a taboo. Iipinge said there is a need to move away from the patriarchal rule and the traditional norms, which some women are still subjected to. This was cemented by the governor of Oshana Region. “Gone is the era of women suffering under dual oppressions of apartheid-colonialism and menfolk where women’s rights were not recognised in Namibia. With the attainment of national independence men and women are equal in leadership,” said Kashuupulwa. The training was also attended by the deputy secretary of the SPWC Francina Kahungu. 2018-08-06Staff Report 2
