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Polls Apart: South African Women and the 1999 General Election

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2021

Louise Vincent
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Extract

More than one million more women than men registered to vote in South Africa’s second democratic election in 1999. The election saw 29.8 percent of seats in the national legislature (or 119 out of 400) going to women (up from 27 percent in the previous Parliament and in stark contrast to the less than 3 percent of women parliamentarians prior to 1994). Eight ministers and eight deputy ministers in South Africa’s new Parliament are women. The new cabinet has women in charge of nontraditional portfolios, such as foreign affairs, public service, mineral and energy affairs, communications and land affairs, in addition to health and housing. This doubles the number of female members compared to the previous executive.

Type
Research Article
Information
African Issues , Volume 27 , Issue 2 , 1999 , pp. 31 - 36
Copyright
Copyright © African Studies Association 1999 

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References

Notes

1. “The Commission on Gender Equality Welcomes Mbeki’s Gender Friendly Cabinet,” Commission on Gender Equality press release, June 21, 1999.

2. Farah Khan, “Women Hold Major Posts in New Cabinet,” Inter Press Service, June 16, 1999.

3. Adapted by Sonja, Boesak (Women’s Net) from Ballington, J., Election 1999: Political Parties and Gender Equality (Johannesburg: Electoral Institute of South Africa, 1999)Google Scholar.

4. Haffajee, Ferial, “Women as Legislators. Interviews,” in Redefining Politics: South African Women and Democracy, ed. Beezak, Sonja (Johannesburg: Commission for Gender Equality, 1999)Google Scholar.

5. Ibid.

6. Ibid.

7. Ibid.

8. Sunday Independent, August 22, 1999.

9. All references to and quotations from Vos are from Vos, Suzanne, “Women in Parliament: A Personal Perspective,” in Redefining Politics: South African Women and Democracy (Johannesburg: Commission on Gender Equality, 1999)Google Scholar.

10. Ulysse, Gina, In Their Own Words: Persistent Patriarchies Across Parties: Some Notes on Maneuvering in Parliament (Johannesburg: Parliamentary Women’s Group, 1999)Google Scholar.

11. Ibid.

12. Commission on Gender Equality, Election 1999: Women’s Participation in Voter Registration (Johannesburg: Commission on Gender Equality, 1999)Google Scholar.

13. Fauke, Clarke and Salo, Elaine, “Perms, Patriarchy, and Politics: Mobilising the Women’s Vote for 1999 and Beyond,” in Redefining Politics: South African Women and Democracy, ed. Sonja, Beezak (Johannesburg: Commission on Gender Equality, 1999)Google Scholar.