MMC Molwele elected to top continental post

02 December 2015

 

The City of Johannesburg’s Member of the Mayoral Committee for Health and Social Development, Councillor Nonceba Molwele, has been elected as one of three vice-presidents of the Network for Locally Elected Women of Africa (REFELA), an integral part of the United Cities and Local Government Africa (UCLG Africa).

 

UCLG Africa is a pan-African association of municipalities aimed at building African unity by “driving African development through the grassroots”. The REFELA elections took place on the second day of the seventh edition of the Africities Summit, being hosted by the City of Johannesburg at the Sandton Convention Centre.

Celestine Ketcha Courtés of Cameroon was elected president of the organisation. The other two newly elected REFELA vice-presidents are Patricia Nichano of Malawi and Maria Helena Jose Correia Langa of Mozambique. REFELA has five regional chapters – North Africa, West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa and Southern Africa. Each is run by a nine-member executive.

MMC Molwele will oversee the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) chapter with eight other members from Zimbabwe, Swaziland and South Africa.
She will serve in this position over the next three years.

Though REFELA is operating at full strength in regions such as North Africa and West Africa, a lot of work still has to be done to develop the Southern Africa region.
MMC Molwele said she and her team “are literally starting from scratch”.

“We have a challenge on our hands. The starting point is making an assessment of the needs on the ground. My team and I will need a lot of support, including a budget from UCLG Africa. We also need support from the City of Johannesburg, especially from the Executive Mayor (Councillor Parks Tau) and all the women in the country,” she said.

She said she and her team would liaise with the outgoing leadership to ensure continuity in the implementation of the organisation’s programmes in line with the AU’s Agenda 2063. Through the network, members tackle common matters of interest within the UCLG Africa realm by exchanging ideas and information and actively participating in debates.

REFELA’s primary objectives are to:

• Implement programmes that empower women in local government and the community;

• Encourage the participation of women in politics and in leadership roles in local authorities and communities;

• Strengthen the skills of locally elected women through development and training in leadership and management of local affairs;

• Provide a platform for African women to voice their opinions and concerns in elected bodies such as UCLG Africa and in the Women’s Commission of UCLG; and

• Provide a networking system for locally elected women to promote and facilitate the exchange of ideas and experiences.

Apart from fighting for gender equality at all political levels, REFELA is instrumental in the implementation of policies aimed at eradicating poverty and climate change. It also seeks to ensure that Sustainable Development Goals are implemented.