Senior women in the ANC have debated whether women should boycott next year’s general elections‚ the SABC reported.

Minister in the Presidency Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma suggested that the vote should be tied to a budget for gender parity‚ the broadcaster said.

Dlamini-Zuma made the comments during a discussion on International Women’s Day in Johannesburg on Thursday night.

“We will vote for the ANC but we want a gender budget for the next year. We will vote for the ANC but that’s one of our conditions and that’s our demand for the next election‚” Dlamini-Zuma is quoted as saying.

“The budget must be desegregated to say what of this budget is going to women‚ young women and of course the youth? But let’s start with women.”

Thandi Moraka‚ deputy secretary general of the ANC Youth League‚ also spoke up during the debate.

“If we can take a resolution as women to say that we are not going to vote in this upcoming general election‚ the ANC is going to lose. And we don’t want to do that. Just for us to show how powerful we are‚ Mam’ Bathabile‚ you can issue an instruction to say: All women‚ stay at home‚ don’t vote.”

Bathabile Dlamini is the president of the ANC Women’s League. She was recently moved to the women’s portfolio in a cabinet reshuffle by newly appointed President Cyril Ramaphosa. Ramaphosa narrowly defeated Dlamini-Zuma in December at the ANC’s national conference‚ where the Women’s League had campaigned strongly for Dlamini-Zuma.

Dlamini‚ the former social development minister‚ also spoke at Thursday’s night event‚ calling on women to support each other.

“The time has come for us to hold the hands of young women because we are where we are because someone decided to hold our hand‚” Dlamini said.