MOSSEL BAY NEWS - A workshop regarding gender mainstreaming presented to local municipal councillors by the Western Cape Government on Thursday 12 August, caused the ACDP to withdraw from the proceedings before the session was concluded.
The ACDP councillor, Jeanette Gouws had the following to say in a press statement issued after the events on Thursday.
"The gender mainstreaming workshop is waste of taxpayer's money, while the Western Cape Government should be focusing in service delivery. They are promoting their political ideology. "
Gouws, excused herself from the worskhop which she describes as "indoctrinating and ideology driven".
"The premise promoted in the workshop is that there are only two sexes but several genders. According to the presenter gender is a choice that is influenced by societal expectations and parental influence. The ACDP, strongly objects to the promotion of this delusional and abusive critical theory and distances ourselves entirely from the unscientific approach to sex and gender.
"We object, strongly to the use of taxpayer money to promote an ideology that is at its core anti-science, anti-family and anti-Christian. This DA driven agenda undermines the values of most of the electorate, who entrusted them with their vote.
"The ACDP calls on all residents to voice their objection to the wastage of taxpayer money by the DA Provincial Government and the misuse of municipal resources.
Naming a workshop as Gender Mainstreaming and Gender Equality is not only disingenuous but also an oxymoron. How are you promoting equality for women in the workplace when any biological male can 'identify' as female and usurp the role of biological women? What then is the purpose of setting gender equity targets if this can be circumvented by the use of delusional gender ideology?
"I asked to be excused based on the fact that time and money was being spent to promote what is essentially a political agenda and had nothing to do with service delivery and its objectives."
DA reacts
Acting mayor and Democratic Alliance Chairperson, Alderman Dirk Kotzé, reacted as follows, after the Mossel Bay Advertiser made enquiries regarding the workshop.
"It is a pity that Councillor Gouws chose to do her constituency a disservice by preemptively jumping to conclusions about the content of the Gender Mainstreaming workshop. She chose to leave the online meeting even before the end of the introductions and is therefore basing her diatribe on her preconceived ideas and the gender intolerances of the ACDP.
"Had she bothered to open her mind to objectively engage with the facilitators, she may have realised that Gender Mainstreaming is a process of integrating that which is marginal into every aspect of life, thinking, and business of an organization and to promote equality between sexes, also within the Mossel Bay Municipality. This is also in line with the Constitution, Bill of Rights and various other legislation in South Africa ensuring individual rights.
"Had Councillor Gouws not been so intent to score political currency by running to the press with a half-baked retort on the workshop, she may have benefited from the maxims that were deliberated. One of the fundamental duties of a councillor is to debate and determine policy, but this can only happen if you are present and willing.
"The DA believes that its policies and by laws must be based on basic human rights like freedom, equality, fairness and human dignity that are ensured by our Constitutional Democracy. Instead, she chooses to ostracise and belittle people who already face an uphill battle in the workplace, foremost among them, women."
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