Source: Eyewitness News
The South African Institute of Race Relations on Monday said there has been a steady increase in the number of women taking up positions at all three levels of government.
The institute said in 1994 women made up 24 percent of provincial legislatures with the figure almost doubling in 2009.
Female representation in Parliament has also grown from 28 percent in 1994 to 43 percent in 2012.
South Africa is ranked third in the world after Rwanda and Sweden for female representation in Parliament.
Researcher Georgina Alexander said despite these gains, it is not necessarily enough to ensure that the challenges facing women in this country are being addressed.
“While there has been progress made in the representation of women, the Traditional Court Bill seems quite contradictory. It must also be taken into account that there are 488 attacks on women everyday in South Africa.”
The Traditional Courts Bill was introduced in the National Council of Provinces amid a public outcry in 2011 after it was withdrawn from the National Assembly the previous year.
