ANC's fear of female power

South Africa has lived under the promise of transformation for three decades, yet the most symbolic marker of political change remains unconquered: the country is still contemplating a woman as state president.

- Mandla Mthembu

The ANC loves to describe itself as the custodian of equality, renewal and progress, but it has never elevated a woman to its top job. The contradiction speaks volumes.

The question is not simply whether the ANC is ready for a female president, but whether it possesses the ideological maturity, institutional courage and cultural honesty to allow real change at the highest level.

On paper, the ANC insists it is ready. Its documents condemn sexism, its conferences speak of women's emancipation and every election cycle brings speeches about women's leadership capacity. Many in the party argue that a woman president is inevitable. Yet the lived reality tells a different story.

Political gatekeeping, patriarchal power networks and entrenched misogyny dominate. Access to funding, branch mobilisation and elite patronage still flows through male-dominated networks. Women may sit in powerful rooms, but they are rarely allowed to own the room.