No excuses — Mantashe must apologise for crude, politically sexist remarks on sexual exploitation

We write this letter in response to remarks made by ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe during an interview with a Newzroom Afrika journalist while campaigning ahead of the 4 November local government elections. We have waited for Comrade Mantashe to apologise.

The journalist had asked him about allegations that municipal councillors in a mining town were demanding sexual favours from women in exchange for jobs and assistance. Instead of condemning these allegations, Comrade Mantashe used crude language to dismiss the matter as a private issue between individuals, saying it had nothing to do with the ANC.

Comrade Mantashe’s response was crude, politically thoughtless and sexist.

A national chairperson is supposed to be a repository of the ANC’s policies and values. He is supposed to lead by example. Comrade Mantashe has not only failed to do this, but has instead become an embarrassment to the movement.

Last year, a video went viral in which he told men not to assault women when they had disagreements with them, but rather to use their “God-given sticks”. The message was not lost on women who face gender-based violence from men wielding their “men’s sticks”.

He never apologised, and the ANC does not seem to have reprimanded him.

He has no shame.

We were taught in our homes not to use crude language. Calling intimate body parts by their names in ordinary conversation was taboo. The worst insult was to use these body parts to insult another person.

Mzwanele Mayekiso seems not to have been brought up in this culture of avoiding crude language. He therefore misses the point when he takes us on an academic journey in his defence of Comrade Mantashe in an article in City Press titled Language, Culture and Mental Colonialism.

He tells us that in pure isiXhosa, calling body parts by their direct, literal names is “neither crude nor inherently profane”, but is anatomically, historically, grammatically descriptive and cultural.

However, he does not tell us the circumstances under which such language would be used or considered acceptable. He does not tell us whether this language was used in our African homes, or explain the context in which it would have been used.

He does not do so because he knows that, in our African culture, crude language is not used in ordinary daily conversations.

In praise of Comrade Mantashe, Mayekiso argues that there would have been no outcry had he expressed the same sentiments in abstract English.

In his mind, rudeness in English is acceptable.

He is wrong.

But the point Mayekiso also misses is that the real matter goes far beyond crude language.

Abuse of power

Sex for jobs is a form of sexual coercion and an abuse of power. It is part of the gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) that we are fighting against. It reflects the unequal power relations between those desperately looking for employment and those who demand sex in exchange for opportunities.

That, to Mayekiso, seems to be of no importance. After all, he is a privileged man who is unlikely to find himself in such a situation.

This is one of our serious problems in this country. Some men are so removed from the realities women face that they do not seem to care about the tragedy of GBVF. One wonders whether they are even teaching their sons about these matters.

Comrade Mantashe was responding to allegations of sex for jobs in a South Africa where such abuses are a serious concern and where GBVF has reached crisis levels.

He should also know that fighting gender-based violence and femicide is a national priority and that the ANC has committed itself to the principles of equality and non-sexism.

Instead, the chairperson of the ANC, in a derogatory manner, reduced the matter to a private issue between two people and sought to free the ANC of any responsibility for fighting against it.

ANC councillors are accountable to the ANC, as well as to the communities they serve. They are the face of the ANC in these communities.

Comrade Mantashe, as the national chairperson, should therefore have been keen to get to the bottom of these allegations rather than crudely dismissing them as a private matter.

Knowing that the ANC is fighting against GBVF, he should have treated the matter with all the seriousness it required.

He should have used the opportunity to call on women to speak out against such abuses.

He should have recognised the unequal power relations between a councillor who holds political power and a woman who is simply looking for a job.

He should have shown anger towards the alleged abuser and empathy for the woman.

He should have taken the opportunity to denounce and expose this patriarchal practice. He should have expressed disgust at such behaviour and clarified the ANC’s position on the abuse of political power for sexual benefit.

Instead, we heard a senior leader dismissing an allegation of sexual exploitation as though it were a private arrangement between consenting individuals.

There is nothing equal about a situation in which a person with the power to influence access to employment demands sex from someone desperate for a job.

Comrade Mantashe is an elder to whom younger generations should be able to look for guidance.

If this is the leadership they look up to, should we then wonder why some of our youth go astray?

What are we teaching them?

And he makes these derogatory remarks while on an election campaign trail.

What kind of organisation are we presenting to the masses?

The same Comrade Mantashe is heard in another video circulating on social media asking a woman how she is going to pay him back now that he has campaigned for her to become a councillor.

It cannot simply be blamed on Artificial Intelligence. To my ears, it is clearly his voice.

This is a leader of the ANC, and as ANC members we must call him out.

He is not representing our ANC.

His age is no excuse

The ANC Women’s League has now publicly called for Comrade Mantashe to apologise and face organisational disciplinary action over his remarks about sex for jobs. The league has made it clear that his age cannot be used as an excuse for conduct that undermines the dignity of women.

It is significant that the women’s organisation within the ANC has taken this position. The ANC has long proclaimed its commitment to building a non-sexist society. That commitment must apply to its leaders as much as to ordinary members.

One hopes that the ANC leadership will act against its chairperson this time around.

The ANC must lead, as it has always maintained that it is the leader of society. It cannot claim that role while tolerating conduct that undermines the dignity of women.

Comrade Mantashe must apologise to South Africans and undergo training on the impact of patriarchy on women.

This is not the first time he has demonstrated a lack of understanding of this crucial matter for our democracy.

The ANC cannot be seen to be tolerating this kind of behaviour from any of its cadres, especially those entrusted with its leadership.

As members of this movement, we have a responsibility to speak out when its leaders act in ways that contradict the values for which we have fought.

Comrade Mantashe must be held accountable. The ANC must demonstrate that its commitment to women’s dignity, equality and the struggle against gender-based violence is more than words. DM

Context: A Newzroom Afrika journalist asked Mantashe about allegations of sex for work claims against municipal councillors in a mining town. He responded: “Don’t involve me in issues of asking for a vagina. This person asked for his vagina from a person he encountered. This can’t be an ANC issue.”