Women politicians on the spotlight

WOMEN’S political participation and the need to take up leadership roles in communities has lately been a strong talking point in Zimbabwe and across the globe.

While some women such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel, former British Prime Minister Theresa May, Liberian president Ellen Johnson and her Tanzanian counterpart, Sania Suluhu have taken up powerful leadership positions, the gap remains wide.

In 2018, the first election without former president Mr Robert Mugabe, a record four women threw in their hats among the 23 candidates who sought to occupy State House, a record number of presidential candidates since independence.

There was former Vice-President Dr Joice Mujuru, Dr Thokozani Khupe, Ms Melbah Dzapasi and Ms Violet Manyacha as presidential hopefuls.

As we approach this year’s harmonised elections likely to be staged in August, only one woman, United Zimbabwe Alliance (UZA) leader Ms Elisabeth Valerio, has so far declared interest in running for the top position in the land.

Although the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) says there are now six million registered voters in Zimbabwe with the majority of them being women, fewer women than men have shown interest in political participation.

Even at rallies, women outnumber their male counterparts yet few of them show interest in taking up leadership positions.

Statistics show that despite 53 percent of the total population being women, only 23 percent of them hold elective parliamentary seats, 13,3 percent hold local government positions and 48 percent hold senatorial positions.

This is a far cry from the envisaged 50-50 representation.

One is then forced to ask; what is scaring female politicians away?

Zibagwe Rural District Council gender focal person Cde Idiraishe Dongo (Zanu-PF) said besides the patriarchal connotations that a woman should be doing household chores, there are issues such as financial capacity which restrict women from taking up political positions.

“You find that most projects that are for men are more rewarding as compared to those meant for women. For example, mining is a project usually undertaken by men yet for women there are projects like gardening which don’t reward as much. So already, there’s a patriarchal and financial barrier,” she said.

Cde Dongo added that women have a “pull her down syndrome” and generally do not support each other.

“It’s either they’re used by a male rival to denigrate a fellow woman or they just look down upon their female candidates. If we supported each other, we would be dominating political offices,” she said.

Ms Melody Chingarande of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) was voted councillor for Kwekwe City Council Ward 5 and was at one time deputy mayor of the city before being fired from council for “misconduct”.

She believes men generally take advantage of women and elbow them out of political races.

“It has become so worrisome that some men are in the habit of intimidating women, violating their rights, abusing them verbally, physically and even emotionally and sexually. At the end of the day, women feel valueless and denigrated such that they lack the confidence they require to enter into politics. When campaigning, men choose to focus on the body of a woman instead of battling it out politically,” said Clr Chingarande.

She added: “There should be forums for men where they’re educated that women are not meant to bear children and do household chores only. They should be taught how to respect the choices of women. Women themselves should also be taught that leadership roles in communities are not designed for men alone.”

Ms Angeline Kasipo (CCC) was voted the first female mayor of Kwekwe in 2018.

She was nominated to represent CCC in Kwekwe Central Constituency in the upcoming harmonised elections.

She said women are not confident in their female counterparts.

Politics has been long viewed as a male preserve and as a woman, one feels inferior to men. In the same vein, women refuse to take their colleagues seriously, choosing to vote for men rather than fellow women,” said the former mayor.

Stigma, she said, is a major factor as people generally assume that women who are interested in politics are of loose morals and they harass them.

When a woman chooses politics, she said, there is a clash of duties as they assume many other roles.

“Politics is demanding and time consuming; it’s difficult, though not impossible, to balance the two,” she said.

Ms Valerio said she would not allow herself to be overwhelmed by the fact that she is the only female presidential candidate in the forthcoming elections, choosing rather to focus on her party’s vision than gender issues.

“Being the only female presidential candidate in Zimbabwe may come with its challenges and expectations but I choose to focus more on UZA’s vision and on implementing our ideas for building a better Zimbabwe. I don’t allow myself to feel overwhelmed by the noise and external factors,” she said.

“I know my path will inspire and empower other women to strive for this and other roles in the future. So, I’m not under any pressure, rather I’m full of hope since the election of a woman to the Presidency will be a significant accomplishment for all of us as women.”

She said her party’s vision is to create an equal and inclusive society where all citizens thrive regardless of gender, race or socio-economic status.

“Women in Zimbabwe face various obstacles to their participation in politics, including discrimination, patriarchal attitudes and limited access to political resources and networks. These challenges often make it difficult for women to campaign, especially in areas where they may not have established networks or support systems,” she said.

The use of social media platforms has been key in her campaigns.

“I have developed strategies and a clear plan that is proving effective in building networks and partnerships with communities or organisations.

“We’re also using social media platforms and other online platforms to reach voters and I’m working collaboratively with other candidates to leverage resources and support,” she said.

The Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC) says it is working on increasing the participation of women in the 2023 harmonised elections as part of efforts to promote gender equality.

ZGC chief executive officer, Mrs Virginia Muwanigwa said it is crucial for the commission to lay the groundwork now so that there is an increase in the number of women participating in the elections.

She urged women to ride on the legal frameworks provided at national and international level to get into politics adding that the ZGC recognises that sustainable development, good governance and democracy are sacrosanct to women participation in all decision-making processes hence it identifies gender, politics and decision making as one of the key strategic areas for achieving gender equality.

“The Gender Audit of the main political parties that was conducted in 2019 found some of the barriers on women participation to be lack of confidence, inadequate political networks, low access to information, lack of faith in political processes, lack of motivation, lack of resources, negative portrayal by the media and violence. We’re looking at ways on how to handle such issues and that more women can participate in the looming election,” she said.

Government is not sitting on its laurels either as gender equality is a major player in the achievement of National Development Strategy 1 and Vision 2030.

Already, the Second Republic has facilitated the creation of a 30 percent quota for women in local authorities while in Parliament, the quota system that was coming to an end at the holding of elections, has been extended by two terms.

This is among a number of initiatives that the Second Republic has implemented in the upliftment of women.

To promote women empowerment, President Mnangagwa has implored women to create synergies and form companies with the capacity to compete for tenders in the ongoing economic and infrastructural development efforts being championed by the Second Republic.

Women should therefore stand up and be counted so that they do not shatter their own voices by chickening out of leadership roles.