ANC says NO to polyandry
Ntuli says it doesn’t serve the interests of women and does little to liberate them
By ANDILE MOSHOESHOE
The ANC in the KwaZulu-Natal have come out strongly in opposition of the proposed legislation to have polyandry legalised. This is according to the KZN ANC secretary, Mdumiseni Ntuli when outlining outcomes of the provincial executive committee meeting in a media briefing on Tuesday.
The briefing was set to clarify the future of about 13 ANC members have been criminally charged with corruption in relation to the party’s step-aside rule that has further divided the party’s factions.
Contingent journalists wasted no time to ask the ANC stand regarding the burning polyandry issue, which was dismissed as a matter that does not promote neither talks to matters of gender equality.
“We had an intense discussion in that regard where we zoomed into the nature of the problem we want to resolve through this polyandry,” Ntuli said. He said they scrutinised the role of polyandry as to whether it will liberate women economically.
“What is it that we want to achieve through it… will it bring equality between men and women and we saw it not fit in resolving challenges facing women,” Ntuli said. He added that the country is facing a GBV challenge where you find that one man abuses his woman, how much more when there is more than one man in her life.
“We viewed this as an extra burden to women, which will also increase the challenge we are facing today of patriarchy in society… instead of liberating them” said Ntuli.
“The fundamental issues we have to focus on is to ensure equality, class and economy as we all know that women were oppressed more than once. They were oppressed as Africans, as women and as part of the working class,” he said. He said they engage Amakhosi and other stakeholders in the Province regarding polyandry.
