Vusumuzi Dube
Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
AS the country prepares to celebrate 43 years of independence on 18 April 2023, it is important to highlight the significant milestones women have reached since the attainment of Uhuru.
Once stuck and wrapped in a patriarchal society, the gains of independence have lifted the lid on all forms of discrimination that were placed on women, which prevented them from reaching their full potential.
Today, women enjoy being in critical leadership roles, politics, business, science, and technology and are dominating many areas of society where they are active economic contributors.
One such leader and trendsetter is multiple award-winning businesswoman Mrs Eunice Dlamini of M and M Joyous Events in Bulawayo who moved from being a vegetable vendor to cooking meals during the momentous 2010 football World Cup in South Africa.
She admits independence carved the way for the emancipation of women in a number of ways.
“Quite a number of things were brought up such as the Millennium Development Goals which saw a lot of training and empowerment of women. Research was done which revealed that women were underprivileged, abused, and victims of gender-based violence (GBV). Some human rights were being violated but thanks to the Government for allowing organisations to come and address that. While they were addressing issues of GBV, the under-representation of women, they were also empowering women at the same time and their eyes were opened. Those women who were in abusive relationships realised the different forms of abuse they were facing, that in our culture we never looked at them as abuse or a form of oppression,” she said.
Mrs Dlamini said issues around HIV were addressed by the Government, taking into cognisance the fact women and girls are the most affected by HIV.
“There are programmes that have been educating women on how to protect themselves from HIV and women have come out and opened up about the scourge more than ever as there are organisations tasked by the Government to assist this vulnerable group. Now our women know what to do when they feel they are in danger,” she said.
Delving into women empowerment, the catering guru said women are now actively participating in the programmes since their introduction by the Government saying women have come out of their shells and interact better than before.
“There are issues of these simple money clubs that women are a part of now. They meet regularly and it is at these gatherings that some women come out and talk about how they are being abused in their unions largely owing to economic issues but the coming together of these women has actually emancipated them as they are motivated to start businesses and they can fend for their families. Women are now able to push their passion and contribute economically because they have been educated on how to fend for themselves,” she added.
Gender equality has been a major talking point in the emancipation of women in Zimbabwe, dating back to the days of the Millennium Development Goals and later Sustainable Development Goals and the Government has made a conscious effort to ensure that equality becomes a reality. Mrs Dlamini said a lot of funding has been channelled into these programmes that have seen significant strides being made in achieving gender equality in Zimbabwe.
She commended the Government for setting up a ministry dedicated to looking at issues around women, their empowerment, and protection from social ills like GBV. In a bid to ensure there is timeous reportage and access to treatment for victims of GBV, a One-Stop Centre with necessary services has been launched at Mpilo Central Hospital to allow survivors to report their cases.
The centre houses a police Victim Friendly Unit office, a medical officer, legal officers and counselling services. It is estimated that one in three women are victims of GBV in Zimbabwe, making such services vital.
Attaining an education has also been a highlight for women in Zimbabwe post-independence
“Soon after 1980, there was a drive that saw many women returning to school, everyone wanted to be educated and education was indeed an empowerment arm because there was so much that was learned.
This made women envy their peers who were now lawyers and engineers and this again can be seen in the children that were later born who are excelling in these disciplines that were regarded as disciplines for men alone. Girls are now pilots, engineers, and many more,” she added.
Mrs Dlamini also applauded the post-independence era as having allowed women to be in business through assistance from financial institutions.
The Women Empowerment Bank was formed to cater for the financial inclusion of women in accessing financial products for starting businesses. Over the past years, the bank has handed over grinding mills, mining compressors, hammer mills, detergent-making machines, water pumps, and incubators to women in business across the country as a way of empowering them to start their own businesses and to advance existing ones. Money has also been availed to hundreds of women who have had access to funding from the government through this bank.
“Such initiatives to allow women to borrow money from banks came through after independence.
Private sector institutions now borrow women money and they fund their businesses, big or small. Look at what the chicken out-growers project has done for women, they are now businesspeople all because there is support from the Government and its various departments. Training too on how to run these businesses are offered free of charge to women by Government and other non-state actors which is a plus in developing women and improving their status in society,” added Mrs Dlamini.
As a businesswoman who has weathered many storms and won several accolades for her work, Mrs Dlamini said women have been equipped to run their own businesses following successful training by the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development.
Asked about the conduciveness of the environment for women to continue working and thriving in their various sectors of operation, Mrs Dlamini said women need to soldier on until the economy improves.
“You have to grow your own strength if you want something. When you do get it, you need to hold on and work hard to maintain what you want because no one can determine the future of your business or job besides you. We are in a tough environment; we are businesspeople and there are so many challenges we face that affect our business.
“An example is the number of licenses that I pay at the beginning of each year, if you really think of it you would think of quitting, but the truth of the matter is you don’t have to give up at all. This year I had to pump out thousands of US dollars in all the documents and licensing that are needed which is a lot of money that we struggle to make. We buy food and other consumables in foreign currency at black market rates, those things are not conducive for businesspeople. We have to push to make profits due to many other factors that affect us,” she added.
Mrs Dlamini said women must not tire and use their gifts to grow their businesses.
“I was reading and came across an article that said a lot of wealth has gone down the graves because people die with talents untapped, unleashed, and unused. Everyone was created uniquely to be something. The Bible talks of a little sleep, and a little slumber, and poverty sets in. We are mandated to work hard and be notable people in our societies. You find that some women can’t go into power because they are just lazy. They would rather not do anything while others burn the midnight oil to improve their lives,” she added.
Hard work, focus, staying in one’s lane, and looking up to one’s vision were the key takeaways that Mrs Dlamini said women must take note of if they are to rise to senior leadership roles or run successful businesses.
“There is no woman who can’t do it; find your space, do the jobs that bring money, and if you are not strong, they trip you and you may fall by the wayside but I say women must get up and never look back.
Do what you are called to do and when you are doing it, do it very well and grow other women too so that the numbers of women who are doing well grow bigger,” she added. – @NyembeziMu
Online Reporter