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ANC rocked as women quit due to ’violence’ in party ranks

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Another woman has resigned from the ANC following the appointment of assault-accused Masibulele Tolofane to the Provincial Executive Committee (PEC). File picture

Newly elected ANC Women’s League, Young Women Desk leader, Matshikiza this week became the second person to resign from party in light of Tolofane’s appointment

ANOTHER woman has resigned from the ANC following the appointment of assault-accused Masibulele Tolofane to the Provincial Executive Committee (PEC).

Zintle Matshikiza has also made damning allegations that the party had a number of sexual predators in its ranks, saying a sex audit would “cripple the organisation”.

Newly elected ANC Women’s League, Young Women Desk leader, Matshikiza this week became the second person to resign from party in light of Tolofane’s appointment, while he is alleged to have hit a woman over the head with a bottle earlier this year.

Newly elected ANC Youth League PEC leader Naledi Maponopono resigned from her position last week due to the appointment of Tolofane.

Tolofane is expected back in court in January to face charges relating to the alleged assault of ANC member Vuyokazi Mbizo, after allegedly hitting her with an empty bottle during a branch general meeting in Gugulethu in August.

In a resignation letter written by Matshikiza, she said that Tolofane and his friends turned the ANCYL into a “Boys Club” where women were made objects of abuse.

“Earlier this year I became active in the ANCWL Young Women Desk until I realised that I am in a very dark place and must eventually resign from the activities and focus on my NGO.

“Truth is we are led by sexual predators who objectify women and if you were to have young girls and women coming out to relate their sexual harassment encounters with cadres this movement will shut down.

“A sex audit will cripple this movement which in itself has a history of sexual violence against women.

“By the way the ANCWL Young Desk is as guilty because it usually plays politics or even turns a blind eye on such issues depending on who is implicated and what is at stake, we have been commodities and die in silence on a daily basis,” said Matshikiza.

Tolofane did not want to comment on the matter.

“I will not comment on this, if you want a comment you can kindly contact my attorney because the matter is being handled by them. I am not in a position to comment. The members are not resigning from the Tolofane family, they are resigning from the ANC structure so there is someone you can speak to, not me,” said Tolofane.

ANC provincial spokesperson for community safety Mesuli Kama said: “The ANCYL WC takes the GBV scourge seriously, hence when the allegations first came to be we tasked the Convener and Coordinator to meet with the victim and give her the necessary support for justice to be served. In its last meeting the Working Committee of the ANCYL resolved to recommend to the National Leadership ANC National Youth Task Team (NYTT) of the ANCYL to deal with the matter as per the conference resolutions of the ANCYL and the ANC. The ANC NYTT is a structure that appointed us with strict terms of reference, which also limit our powers in terms of the composition of the structure. We will give further updates on the matter once we have convened the meeting.”

ANC Women’s League Dullah Omar spokesperson Zoleka Moon said the women’s league would soon have a meeting with the ANCYL regarding the matter.

“The fact that they are resigning means that no action has been taken by the structure against Tolofane. As the Women’s League we ought to meet them and engage with them to see what their thinking is around the matter, seeing that it is attracting negative publicity,” said Moon.

Cape Times

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