womens names do not feature in ongoing power struggles for the top leadership of the african national congress anc although the opposition democratic alliance da has three women at the helm in the countdown to the deadline for the targets of the southern african development community sadc protocol on gender and development and of millennium development goal mdg promoting gender equality and empowering women south africa needs to redouble its efforts to ensure the achievement of gender parity in all areas of decisionmaking south africa also needs to ensure that this translates into real changes in the lives of the majority of women