Chief advisor to president Cyril Ramaphosa at the African Union (AU), Maropene Ramokgopa, said she was not given her current position on a silver platter and had to fight strongly for it.
Ramokgopa was speaking at a women panel discussion hosted by the South African Association of Public Administration and Management (SAAPAM) in collaboration with the Galaxy Universal Network TV under the topic “women representativity and public service: how far are we?”
“We live in a patriarchal society that wants to subdue women to the system that says they are below men. I was not given an opportunity. I had to grab it. I grabbed it and I fought for it. I learned that if I don’t grab it and fight for it, no one is going to give it to me,” said Ramokgopa.
“This is what I believe I deserve. This is my track record. I am not saying put me there because I am a woman or because I am Maropene. I have been a diplomat for six years. I have a political history that I believe I can be able contribute meaningfully in Africa and my country,” she added.
Ramokgopa, 40, is a former national convener of the ANCWL young women's desk and served on the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) board in the past.
