The Botswana Congress Party Women’s League (BCPWL) says it has organized the party’s women into a strong, powerful movement.
Addressing the media following the BCPWL’s annual conference held recently in Francistown, BCPWL president, Tebogo Dingake, said the women’s league has resolved to create a women’s desk in the BCP office.
Among other things, the desk will lobby the government to change the electoral system to allow representation of women in all leadership and decision making positions.
Dingake further said BCP should continue to lobby government on the need to fund political parties.
She said this would benefit women candidates who, in most cases, face a mammoth task in accumulating resources for successful campaigns.
“Our male counterparts should desist from using language which is negative, condescending and belittling towards women,” she said. “These instil fear and low self esteem in women.”
Dingake further said the BCPWL would appeal to the BCP secretary general for the 30 percent quota in all the structures of the party to be implemented. She said any structure or committee that is elected but does not meet this requirement should be declared null and void.
The women’s league president said the BCPWL will embark on an intense recruitment drive to rope in women candidates ahead of the 2014 general elections.
She said to show that the BCPWL is alert to people’s concerns, it will initiate community empowerment projects.
Dingake explained that though an autonomous auxiliary body of the party, the BCPWL operates within the confines of the BDP constitution.
BCPWL secretary for legal affairs, Annah Motlhagodi, said they are an advocacy for women rights and have been doing it for a long time.
She added that the BCPWL resolutions were taken by the 15 regions that participated at the recent annual conference.
“This is an ongoing process,” she said. “We are undertaking an extensive awareness campaign through training with a view to sensitizing women on the need to have a solid, effective and vibrant league.”
