Amanda Botha – South Africa

Councillor Amanda Botha from the Emakhazeni district council in Mpumalanga said that her constraints as a woman in politics include the fact that she is seen as the opposition and not as a councillor. She said that she is not informed of events such as funerals which is something she feels deprives her of being part of the community.

“They view me as the opposition which is wrong, because we are only the opposition during elections, but once we are in council, then we need to work as a team.” She adds that she is not recognised as a councillor, because she is in the opposition: “I have raised this and told them that that I will not work like that. I believe I need to be given a chance and the credit to do my job. We now have to roll up our sleeves and work together because we all have good ideas, which will contribute towards the development of the community.”

What she doesn’t understand is that it is the women councillors who treat her this way. She believes that people should be showing that there is unity within the council: “Service delivery has to be the priority and not the political party affiliation. If we are to pull this wagon through, we need to stand as a united front.”