Open Society Initiative of Southern Africa (OSISA)

There is nothing extraordinary about Mary-Joyce Doo Aphane. Nor is there anything extraordinary – in most countries – about her desire to register a newly-bought property in both her and her husband’s names. What is extraordinary is that she still couldn’t do that in Swaziland in the 21st century, despite being married in community of property. And what is even more extraordinary is that she took on the out-dated, discriminatory laws in court and won – the first time that Swaziland’s 2005 Constitution has been used as the basis to protect women’s rights.

The Southern African region faces the major challenge of combining the principles of democracy and the creation of democratic institutions with the pragmatic decisions required to implement reforms in the security sectors of SADC member countries. This is rendered especially difficult by the need to address security issues in the different country contexts. There are also conceptual barriers to be overcome, because there is no consensus among African leaders as to what ‘security’ denotes, for example whether it refers to regime or human security.

The increasing focus on men and men’s organisations within development is seen by some as a new fad, the latest silver bullet to achieving gender equality, and a threat to women’s organisation and women’s movements. In this view, donor attention to men’s organisations seems to signify a shift of support away from women’s empowerment and women’s leadership, and a handing over of the reins in the struggle for gender equality to men. Men are once more in charge – only this time they’re in charge of women’s liberation struggles.