Zuma probe a test case

THE Commission for Gender Equality has a test it cannot afford to fail to prove it is a constitutional body with the necessary teeth.

The Democratic Alliance has lodged a complaint with the Chapter 9 body about utterances made by President Jacob Zuma on television about women.

Among other things, Zuma said women who stayed single posed a "problem in society".

He also said it was a "distortion" to suggest that it was "nice" to be single. "You've got to have kids. Kids are important because they actually give an extra training to a woman, to be a mother," Zuma said.

The remarks triggered a flurry of criticism from gender activists who said they were discriminatory to women.

Zuma's office clarified that the president made the remarks in the context of promoting sound family values. The complaint suggests that the DA does not buy this explanation.

Now the commission - whose track record in fighting for gender equality is not as sound as it should given what the Constitution expects of it - is probing Zuma for his comments.

It's a probe whose outcome will certainly be helpful in determining whether Zuma's understanding of sound family values is in conflict with the constitutional injunction to promote non-sexism. He should know better. The party he leads, the ANC, prides itself in fighting for non-sexism and non-racialism.

The commission must return a finding that helps citizens understand what the Constitution means and demands of leaders like Zuma in a society crippled by gender-based violence.