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FEMALE POLITICIANS SHOULD BE DESERVING – INKHOSIKATI LAMATSEBULA

By SIBUSISO DLAMINI | 2023-10-24

Women’s participation in politics should not be reduced to mere symbolism and insincere tokenism, says Inkhosikati LaMatsebula.

She said while the inclusion of women in political processes was a key element in achieving a truly inclusive democracy, it was important to ensure that deserving women were put in decision-making positions.

“That there should be fair representation for women in politics is unquestionable,” said the Inkhosikati, adding that “what is crucial however, is that it be meritorious women with the capabilities to contribute positively to the nation’s betterment.”

“It honestly goes without saying that women must be given the chance to exercise their political rights and participate in all political decision-making, but my main concern is that we stand to suffer if we let just any woman become a legislator,” she added.

The Inkhosikati said it was a self-evident truth that the country’s economy had suffered because of lack of women’s representation in policy-making but maintained that greater damage was done to the political process if women were put in political positions without consideration of their intellectual capabilities.

“It undermines democracy and institutional vitality,” she said, adding that the net result would be a perpetually unstable community, which she said was unfortunate because there were deserving women with a lot of potential to contribute positively.

“Women have a God-given ability to multi-task and we should not lose out on where that could benefit us as a country, but it is also equally important that women do not try to become men,” she stated.

She said it was not by mistake that God made women the neck, and man the head, and advised women to not leave their natural positions in an attempt to take on the roles and responsibilities of men.

Inkhosikati said this when interviewed after graduating with a Diploma in Law at the University of Eswatini on Saturday, which was her second academic honour from the institution following her Masters of Arts in History obtained in 2017, and her fifth in total following her degree and honours in psychology as well as a Bachelor of Arts in international relations and diplomacy, all obtained from the University of South Africa (UNISA).

Asked about the motivation behind her academic pursuit, Inkhosikati said it was a combination of factors.

psychology
“The main motivation when I started with psychology was to understand myself better, as well as the people around me,” she said.

“I then proceeded with international relations and diplomacy because I felt I was missing out a lot when I travelled with His Majesty and had to attend first ladies meetings,” she added.
With the history one, Inkhosikati said she gained interest when studying international relations and diplomacy, which was also the spark that ignited her love for law.

Having enrolled for the law diploma in 2019, she studied during the COVID-19 era and when asked about it, she simply said she had all the respect for her lecturers and educators.
“It has been quite the journey, which was made easy by understanding and caring lecturers,” said the Inkhosikati.

“I had to forget my position when with them to build a relationship of mutual respect and create a conducive environment whereby they felt free to challenge me - all while we were all going through an experience we had never been through before.”

Inkhosikati said her academic pursuits moulded her to a better leader and person stating that “education enlightens you and helps give a different perspective on a number of issues.”
“I now give better constructive advice,” said the Inkhosikati.

“For instance, when I talk about the Constitution now, I can pinpoint areas that need improvement and further place a viable solution to the problem, other than just stressing a complaint,” she said.

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