Sundaymail Editor
Seventy women will contest for National Assembly seats in the August 23 harmonised elections out of the 673 candidates cleared by the Nomination Court on June 21. This translates to about 11 percent of the total number of contestants. The Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC) says there are systemic barriers hindering women’s participation in electoral processes, which need to be addressed with urgency. The Sunday Mail’s TANYARADZWA RUSIKE (TR) spoke to ZGC chairperson Commissioner MARGARET MUKAHANANA-SANGARWE (MMS) on these and other issues.
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TR: Zimbabwe’s elections have traditionally been male-dominated and the August 23 polls will be no different. Can you outline the major challenges affecting women’s participation in elections?
MMS: The major challenges remain the systemic barriers that continue to hinder women’s participation in various spheres of life.
Over the years, we have come to know that local politics is largely a domain for males, where parties hardly have commitment to women’s active participation beyond women-only structures such as women’s wings, thus keeping them away from mainstream politics. Limited learning spaces perhaps contribute to limiting women’s participation.
In addition, the violence that often mars political processes is in itself a hindrance to women’s participation. The negative portrayal of women in the mainstream media also does not help the situation. There is also an imbalance in party constitutions, policies, structures and procedures that perpetuate the status quo.
TR: What strategies are you deploying to facilitate enhanced participation of women in politics and positions of power?
MMS: The Zimbabwe Gender Commission has rolled out several awareness-raising engagements with political parties, capacity-building initiatives across the political divide and partnerships with various stakeholders. For example, over the last year, we have had the Women Rise in Politics programme, which seeks to educate, empower and prepare women to fully take part in the upcoming elections.
The programme offers women training in communication, campaign management, voter engagement, presentation, fundraising and financial planning.
Political parties have and continue to be urged to prioritise and respect provisions in the national Constitution that promote gender equality and non-discrimination. The media have also been engaged to be conscious of the importance of accentuating these issues, in addition to giving fair coverage to all candidates, particularly women.
TR: How has the extension of the women’s quota in the National Assembly helped onboard more women into mainstream politics?
MMS: The extension of the women’s quota has guaranteed seats for women that come through the proportional representation system. However, it would have been even better for political parties to have fielded more women candidates across constituencies and wards, so that we begin to see a progression in the numbers of women participating through direct election.
The quota opens up a possibility for women to participate in politics, but more can and should be done. It is important to also acknowledge that we need to go beyond looking at women representation in terms of figures to ensuring equal power and control in decision-making outside of politics.
TR: What is the commission doing to expedite implementation of constitutional provisions that institutionalise gender equality?
MMS: Sections 17, 56 and 80 make provisions for equal opportunities in political, economic and social activities. The commission conducted a gender audit of the main political parties in Zimbabwe in 2018 and formulated a Model Gender Policy for political parties. ZGC, therefore, recommends affirmative action programmes to achieve gender equality. Through capacity building initiatives such as the Women Rise in Politics programme, we anticipate raising awareness and enhancing active participation of women in the different spaces.
TR: How will the limited participation of women in this year’s elections affect gender equality in corridors of power over the next five years?
MMS: Getting more women into politics and decision-making is not something that can be left to chance; there is need for commitment at political party level. There is need for this commitment to reflect at the lowest levels in governance, otherwise issues affecting women will remain peripheral due to limited or misrepresentation at policy level. The exclusion of women means no representation.
TR: Can you outline what recent research shows about patterns of women participation in politics?
MMS: From the ZGC March 2022 by-election observation report, the analysis showed that women obtained fewer seats compared to their male counterparts.
TR: Can you outline some of the high-profile cases relating to possible violations of rights relating to gender equality you are investigating?
MMS: We have received cases from women political actors, the retail industry, tertiary institutions and the food and beverages industry, chieftainship wrangles, land disputes and electoral violence, which we are currently investigating. Last year, we handled 47 such cases and so far, this year, we have received 27 reports.
Twitter: @tdrusike
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