Women urged to take up Uhuru-availed opportunities

Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter

WOMEN have been urged to take advantage of opportunities availed to them by independence to demonstrate their aptitude in business, leadership and academia and not remain shadows of men.

Chief Executive Officer of Megafest Southern Region Business Awards Mrs Mercy Matsika said independence has made it possible for women who are movers and shakers in various areas to be recognised at local and international levels.

She applauded the Government for continued and consistent efforts in making sure that women were given the platform to shine and to compete shoulder to shoulder with men in various economic, political and social spheres.

She said women were supposed to take up the challenge and involve themselves as ambassadors and passionate advocates of good business practices so that their achievements were celebrated through Megafest awards that recognise and reward the courage, leadership, and creativity of Zimbabwe’s most brilliant business people who play a critical role in raising the profile of professionals in business. 

“In my experience running Megafest we are witnessing a deviation equalling a tectonic shift in women participating in leadership roles. There is a huge shift towards inclusivity in terms of gender diversity from a lot of men now, which works to the advantage of women. Before independence women were shackled with imposed social roles, male dominance, and female subordination. That stemmed perhaps from political, economic, religious and or cultural setbacks and these completely excluded women from decision-making roles,” she said.

Mrs Matsika said pioneers and ambitious women were now being born and made through women empowerment programmes that have been set following the attainment of independence and the coming in of the Second Republic. Platforms have been created at Megafest Business Awards to empower and recognize women who are excelling in their various areas and competing with men.

“The goal is to create and set standards for women and to recognise their excellence and give them a pat on the back for dominating in a male-dominated business ecosystem. The awards also work as a motivation for the women and it has given them hope. I believe women’s participation and presence in leadership roles and decision-making is reaching the stratosphere level,” she added.

Mrs Matsika said a lot of men have embraced, appreciated, and understood that when women were in boardrooms not because of gender but through the knowledge and value they bring to the table.

“These are the kind of men that are enabling women to rise. It is now old-fashioned to look at someone using gender lenses though we still have a huge cross-section that needs to be educated on this. Generally, the world started accepting that it does not matter who is holding a position but it is what they bring to the table and a lot of women are proving that they can bring a lot of substance and content for profitability,” she added.

Mrs Matsika said she has come to the realisation that women now have the ambition and hunger for success and that was driving and shaping other women in business today. She said now, women have the ability to overcome and redefine stereotypical notions that previously undermined women.

“Women now own their own businesses running successful and powerful organisations and they have earned themselves a lot of respect from their counterparts. The women who are in the corporate world are able to lead by adding value because they have trained themselves to come with knowledge, to come with independence to make decisions and the boldness to say this is about business not about gender,” added Mrs Matsika.

She highlighted that after 1980, more women got admitted to universities, got involved in politics, trained in the medical and law fields, and ventured into business unlike before.

“Zimbabwe has been open to giving women different opportunities, giving the girl child a higher percentage of scholarships, making University entry points attainable and giving women a chance in politics. Women are now able to protest for their rights, they have the right to be heard in influential spaces. We no longer live in the shadows of men. We are given a fair chance to prove ourselves, our capabilities, and that is what exactly we bring to the table,” she added.

Mrs Matsika said leaders were prepared to take calculated risks and challenge the status quo.

“I like Marianne Williamson’s quote which says, “Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us”. As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. As women let us not be limited by fear of the unknown,” she said. — @NyembeziMu