Tinaye Agere
Richard Muponde
MALE-DOMINATED trades are considered to be among the factors that reinforce stereotypes and create unfavourable environments for the fairer sex.
High stress and anxiety levels, lack of mentoring, pervasive stereotypes and sexual harassment are associated with such setups.
Women in male-dominated occupations face challenges that differ from those in more gender-balanced and female-dominated careers.
These predicaments seem to affect their retention and career success.
However, a 33-year-old Budiriro woman, Kupakwashe Mahala, has managed to weather the storm and conquer a male domain, much to the amazement of many.
Mahala has been adventurous from a tender age, in sharp contrast to her twin sister, who appears to be an introvert.
She decided to challenge the male hegemony in sports, where she excelled in football, before hanging up her boots for another perceived male sport — snooker.
Having grown up in Honde Valley, where she did her primary and secondary education, she fell in love with football and played for a team called Mwenezana Queens, which was in the Zimbabwe Women Soccer League (ZWSL).
The team later collapsed, after which she moved to Harare.
The desire to explore fresh avenues and conquer prompted her to try her hand at snooker, where she is having dominance over her male counterparts and has become a target for all in the Harare Pool League.
The Sunday Mail Society tracked Mahala to her Budiriro 2 base, where she shared her experiences.
“I was born on May 9, 1990. I am a twin in a family of nine children,” she said.
“I went to Eastern Highlands Primary School in Honde Valley from 1997 up to 2003. I then went to Nyamhingura Secondary School, better known as Zindi Secondary School, from 2004 and completed my Ordinary Levels in 2007.
“However, I passed three subjects. I did not bother pursuing the other subjects since my father failed to pay for my examination fees.”
Mahala said she started playing soccer while she was still at Eastern Highlands Primary School. Back then, she did not have any permanent position in the field of play, but was often used as a utility player.
“I did not have any specific position. I would play wherever the coach wanted on a particular day. I went to play for local clubs until I joined Mwenezana Queens in ZWSL.
“I left Mwenezana when they collapsed and had no intention of joining other teams as age was catching up with me,” revealed Mahala.
This marked her switch to snooker as she had become accustomed to sport and competition.
“I started playing snooker when I left soccer. I found it difficult to completely leave sports. I cannot remember the exact dates but snooker immediately came to my mind after soccer since I used to keenly follow the sport,” she said.
“I joined it out of passion and the way it is peaceful. At the moment, I play out of love without getting any financial gains in return.”
She reckons men always feel inferior when defeated by women.
“It is very common but this is sport and they just have to accept it. You lose some games and win others. It does not matter who defeats you.
“Snooker is a sport that keeps me busy and focused. It helps me shy away from other distractive matters in our communities.”
Mahala urged women and youths to take up sport so as to stay busy and steer clear of social ills.
“Young girls should take up any sport of their choice. It is beneficial to their health and also keeps them away from the streets, where drugs are being abused and a lot of teenage pregnancies are being recorded,” she said.
The single mother of two boys says she is grateful for the support she gets from her fiancé.
Mahala currently plays for Status Pool Club of Budiriro 2, whose base is Status Sports Bar at the shopping centre.
Defeating men in their comfort zones has become her mission.
Online Reporter