Botswana
Botswana woman politicians unhappy about media cover

Misanet.com / Botswana Gazette, 26 April - Women in politics in Botswana are unhappy with the way the media in this country covers them. They say they have experienced that their issues do not always receive supportive and positive coverage. 

A two day media workshop was organised by the Botswana Caucus for Women in Politics to try and iron out any differences between them but organisers were disappointed as very few media people turned up to participate. 

The women feel that the media is unfair to them as it does not recognise that they are people and politicians in their own rights who have their own identities. 

- Instead of emphasising who I am and what I stand for, the media will put emphasis on the fact that I am married to the Speaker of the National Assembly (Ray Molomo), said Ms Motlhagodi Molomo. "But I have been in politics long before he held this position," she complained. 

Narrating her experiences with the media, Ms Molomo said in her last campaign, she discovered that the journalists that were pulling her down were female journalists who were collaborating with male politicians. 

- For instance, a journalist wrote that I had been trounced whereas I had only lost by a narrow margin of only 12 votes, she told. "Is that what you would call trouncing. We went to another newspaper to try and set the record straight and the story that came out was alright. The problem stemmed from the headline. It was 'Petticoats in mud'", Ms Molomo said. 

Other women criticised the media for lack of respect of their privacy. They said whilst they may be politicians, they are still citizens who have rights that have to be respected. 

Some members of the media felt that there is some truth in some of the criticism levelled against them. They, however, also had their own complaints. One of them was that the Caucus hardly ever issues press statements or calls a press conference to appraise the media on some of its activities or to comment on any issue of national interest. The advice was that the Caucus has to get a press officer who is conversant with media issues and understands the operations of the media. 

Another strong complaint came Botswana Television Producer of the programme Sedibeng, Kesholofetse Phetlhu, who said most female politicians are very ignorant and uninformed. Participants reportedly accepted this criticism as genuine. 

The media also felt that some female politicians in Councils and Parliament are very quiet especially on issues pertaining to women even though during their campaigns they promised to make their voices heard on these issues. They felt this is because the concerned politicians are either timid, afraid of criticism from their male colleagues, lack self confidence, are ignorant or they have become comfortable in their seats and forgotten their promises to the people who elected them. 

The women also agreed that they do not market themselves to the media either collectively or individually, the way their male colleagues do. At the end of the two days, the caucus decided that they should develop a strategic plan that will outline their mission, vision, values and their activities. Within that plan will be incorporated a media and public relations strategy. 

They will also continue to lobby the media for positive coverage of individual women politicians and the Caucus as a body. Coupled with this will be regular press releases and press conferences. The media pledged to continue doing its utmost in covering women's activities and issues but the general feeling was that women politicians will have to be more pro-active instead of waiting for the media to go to them. 

By Thaego Tlou, The Botswana Gazette

© The Botswana Gazette      You can contact us at mail@afrol.com