The ANC Women’s League in the Eastern Cape congratulates the newly elected leadership of the African National Congress (ANC) in Amathole Region elected in their 4th Regional Conference which took place from the 28-29 April 2023 at the East London International Convention Centre (EL ICC).
The ANC Women’s League is particularly pleased with the election of Cde Thembalam Sheila Xhego as the Chairperson, and Cde Nombuyekezo Ncethezo as the Secretary of the Region. We are elated on the elected leadership because their election affirms women within the congress movement in the region and the broader province of the Eastern Cape.
This is part of our gains as the Women’s League in lobbying the movement to move beyond just recognising women as part of quotas as articulated in its resolutions but to broadly appreciate women as capable leaders to lead the renewal program of the African National Congress. This is a clear signal of the ANC’s commitment to gender equality as a fundamental right and a prerequisite in achieving a gender equitable society. The ANC must continue to ensure that women occupy strategic positions within its structures as part of its renewal.
We call on the elected leadership to work very hard to unite the broader movement in the region, support the Women’s League structures in their rebuilding process and Young Women’s Desk (YWD) to ensure that women are at the centre of the re-engineering and repositioning of the African National Congress.
The region of Amathole is a critical part of the Eastern Cape within the central part of the province, it has a diverse economy that is marked by both the urbanised parts and the largely deeply rural sections that stretch from the South to the North of the coastal line. It is important that the leadership understand it’s complexities and exploits the competitive advantages of this region to build an economy that serves our people. The rate of unemployment in the region at 37% and the high rates of poverty must preoccupy the minds of this elected leadership.
We take this opportunity to congratulate all the elected comrades in this collective of a dynamic, youthful and gendered leadership of Amathole Region. We trust that the collective will contribute immensely in the organisation towards an election victory in the 2024 National General elections.
As Mama Charlotte Maxeke the pioneering leader of the toiling women and African people says: “This work is not for yourselves, kill that spirit of self and do not live above your people but live with them, and If you can rise, bring someone with you”
ENDS…
Issued by the ANCWL Eastern Cape
Contact:
Siphokazi Lusithi
ANCWL Provincial Coordinator
Mobile: 0762148116
