MBOMBELA – In the same dress as the day she was belittled in at legislature, DA’s Ms Jane Sithole joined hundreds of supporters on Tuesday in a peaceful march to stand up for women’s rights.
“Wathinta bafazi, wathint’ imbokodo”, translated to “if you strike a woman, you strike a rock,” was continuously chanted while disgruntled supporters marched to the legislature. “This time, they did not only strike a rock, but they struck a Democratic Alliance rock,” said Ms Tarnia Baker, DA Mpumalanga Democratic Alliance Women’s Network (DAWN) interim leader.
This followed after Sithole’s dress was allegedly compared to that worn by a sex worker during a legislature sitting on March 31.
The speaker, Ms Thandi Shongwe ruled that Sithole’s dress was not in line with the decorum of the house and proceeded to order her to cover herself up. “Gender issues plague our society. The reason for the march is to say no, no Thandi Shongwe, you will not treat our honourable chairman like that and get away with it,” Baker said.
“Twenty-one years into democracy, we bow our heads in shame. I, Anthony Benadie, DA Mpumalanga caucus leader, am ashamed to be leading a march for women’s rights. Twenty years of freedom, should have brought with it the restoration of dignity of every lady in our country,” he said.
Once the march reached the legislature, Sithole asked the supporters whether they thought that the dress was inappropriate, to which they answered, no.
“The day my dress was compared to that of a prostitute, I was wearing this exact same dress and these exact same shoes,” she said.
The memorandum was handed over, which stated that Shongwe should withdraw her protection of discriminatory remarks.
“It is unconstitutional and unacceptable in our democratic country that women can have their rights and dignity trampled on by a legislative house,” Benadie added.
In the memorandum, the DA demanded that the speaker apologise in writing to Sithole for humiliating her over her choice of dress. Upon receiving the memorandum, the DA was informed by the deputy speaker, Mr David Dube, that there was a bereavement in the speaker’s family, and she was absent from the legislature.
