Growing criticism of the government's priorities in buying expensive arms while keeping down budgets to fight poverty burst into the open at this week's gender summit when the minister responsible for women, Dr Essop Pahad, was booed when he rejected the comments of a senior ANC woman MP, Pregs Govender.

Govender was the only ANC MP who did not vote for the defence budget when it came before parliament at the end of the last parliamentary session. She became the second ANC MP to abstain on a bill relating to defence since the controversy about the R43-billion arms deal began, after Andrew Feinstein.

Her act of defiance in Parliament at the end of the last parliamentary session was followed up this week at the gender summit when she quoted former Intelligence Minister Joe Nhlanhla as saying in 1995 that there was no foreseeable external military threat to South Africa, and called for reprioritising the budget to address the threats of poverty and crime, especially as they affect women. 

With acknowledgment to John Matisonn and the Sunday Tribune.