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CAPE TOWN. – Gender activists have commended Mauritian President Prithviraj Roopun for appointing Rehana Bibi Chief Justice, a first for a woman to hold that position on the island.

She becomes the second woman this year to head an African country’s justice system. In May, President Uhuru Kenyatta appointed Judge Martha Koome as Kenya’s first female chief justice and head of the judiciary.

Cape Town-based feminist and media scholar, Dr Delta Ndou said while at the top there’s notable representation of women, there’s still a long way to go.

“It’s just the beginning if you really check statistics, there’s only 20 percent female representation on the political sphere,” she said.

According to UN Women, more work needs to be done to achieve gender equality although Mauritius has done well in protecting women’s rights.

“In Mauritius, 83,3 percent of legal frameworks that promote, enforce and monitor gender equality, with a focus on violence against women are in place,” reads the UN Women’s profile of Mauritius.

Mauritius is the fourth best country in terms of gender equality in Sub Saharan Africa behind South Africa, Rwanda and Namibia according to figures from the African Development Bank (AFDB). In its 53 years of independence, Mauritius has had two female presidents, one acting and one elected. Dr Bibi Ameenah Firdaus Gurib-Fakim, 62, was elected sixth president of the island and served between 2015-2018. – Reuters