peterSimba Jemwa, Sunday News Correspondent
ZANU-PF’s National Political Commissar, Cde Mike Bimha has lauded the party’s women’s league for its loyalty and stability while also revealing that the final list of candidates eligible for the national executive will be announced tomorrow.
Cde Bimha added that although the majority of the provinces had resolved to petition the party to increase the women quota of seats set aside in legislative and local government in 2023, the issue will be further deliberated on.
“The final list of candidates who are eligible to stand for office at the women’s league national conference will be announced tomorrow. I am also aware that various women’s league provinces resolved to petition the party for an increase in the number of seats set aside for them to one-third, but I cannot comment about this. Decisions like increasing or decreasing the women’s quota are made at the highest level like the Presidium and only then can I speak about such processes,” said Cde Bimha.
Speaking to Sunday News in a wide-ranging interview in the aftermath of provincial women’s leagues conferences that were held across the country last weekend, Cde Bimha said as a party, Zanu-PF held the women’s league in high regard given its long standing within the party and its ability to remain well organised and structured.
“Over the years – before, during and after the liberation struggle – our women’s league has been an upright wing of the revolutionary party. They have always upheld theirs and the party’s ethos and as a result, this wing, much like the youth league and the war veterans’ wing, are very important parts of the party’s structures,” said Cde Bimha.
Cde Bimha also said: “Women carry a big voice in national politics. We must also be conscious of the fact that women are in the majority in the country. They are also very good mobilisers in terms of party support and, in most cases, more loyal to the party. Our women’s league has commenced a lot of programmes towards development and upliftment of women’s affairs nationally.
Women have been sidelined because of our culture and other such factors, but as a party we resolved to uplift women and we put a lot of importance to emancipation of women and women’s affairs. Also, very loyal to the party and the women’s league is stable and has been within party structures for a long time now.”
The revolutionary party is also happy with the manner in which the recent provincial elections for national women’s league representatives were held. Cde Bimha told Sunday News that all elections across the 10 administrative provinces in the party were held without incident.
“The party is very happy with the manner in which provincial women’s conferences were held. All of them were held peacefully and according to the instructions we had given members of our secretariat who were tasked with supervising these elections. Reports from our representatives in all provinces confirm that everything was done as per administrative and constitutional instructions.
“The women’s league will be holding their national conference in a few months and the party wishes them well ahead of their deliberations as we prepare for 2023 (harmonised elections). We expect the national conference to come up with strategies to help the party achieve its goal of five million votes for the President in the 2023 harmonised elections,” Cde Bimha continued.
The Zanu-PF women’s league was founded in 1977 by Zanu nationalists in Xai-Xai, Mozambique. The first Women’s Congress was held in Mozambique in 1978 and there, the late Sally Mugabe was elected Deputy Secretary of the women’s league.
The women’s league held its first conference from 15–17 March 1984, before the party Congress which occurred several months later. @RealSimbaJemwa
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