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Women bemoan lack of political space
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition
November 05, 2013

View this article on the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition website

Civil society members and delegates at a Young Women’s Conference held at the National Art Gallery in Bulawayo as part on the Ideas Festival, on Thursday 31 October, unanimously agreed that women needed to vigorously lobby for equality in politics because men continue to hold onto influential positions.

The delegates arrived at the conclusion that the Zimbabwean political landscape is still dominated by men despite constitutional provisions that seek to address the issue of gender equality in politics, while Belinda Gumbo, a gender activist, called on young women to take advantage of the opportunities afforded them by the Constitution.

“There are opportunities for young women as encapsulated in the Constitution,” said Gumbo, during the meeting. “There are sixty 60 seats reserved for women.

“As young women we should lobby for inclusion in the women’s party list so that we participate in mainstream politics and positively contribute to the developments of this country.”

Gumbo also highlighted that young women have become apathetic to political participation because they believe that nothing changes despite their voting or participation.

“Some young women stay out of politics because they are afraid and believe that politics is violent,” she added.

Participants were encouraged to participate in other decision making process like budget consultation meetings and ward meetings as such platforms could aid in propelling them to national politics.

The meeting was collaboration between Bulawayo Agenda (BA) and Zimbabwe Young Women’s Network for Peace Building (ZYWNPB) and attracted participants from across the country.

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