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Political violence in Zimbabwe and its impact on participation of women in elections
Election Resource Centre
March 08, 2012

As the world joins hands and minds to commemorate International Women's Day for 2012, the delicate political situation in Zimbabwe typically fraught with its trappings of violence (both systematic and random) cannot escape the radar. As the country gears itself for an election, so decisive in its outlook, fears of politically-motivated violence have never been greater. The situation is compounded by the compromised, heavily-politicised state institutions that normally would act as gatekeepers in the ideal world. The recent spate of violence visited upon the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) as witnessed in Zaka East which saw the alleged murder of MDC member, Sharukai Mukwena on 7 February 2012, by suspected ZANU PF thugs, is indicative of the continued undesirable political environment.

This paper spares a thought for women and girls who, in spite of a traditional subdued role in political activism, face further threats to their participation from a political violence deep rooted cancer that is failing to go away from Zimbabwe's body politic. In essence, the discussion centres on the differential gender impacts of political violence, linking this up with how it undermines in a big way all other efforts at women's contribution to society in general.

The International Women's Day is an important opportunity to finger the often ignored issue of state-sponsored violence. Indeed when violence permeates politics to the extent of sucking in state security apparatus, which in the very first place should be the people's first line of security, then all signs point to an extremely complicated problem. ZANU PF, has evidently consolidated its grip on the army, police and secret service to unprecedented levels in modern history.

There is general consensus amongst most Zimbabweans on the worrying extent to which the militarisation of Zimbabwe's governance over civilian authority remains the single biggest challenge in the country today. Cases, therefore, of state-organised violence and indeed any other form of violence, even pose new, real threats to women's condition. Indeed, it is very critical to keep in mind that women bear the brunt of the scourge of violence. Not only do they suffer as a 'weaker' sex (for surely much of the violent conduct is done by men!), they bear all the physical, social and psychological manifestations of political violence. Women are physically, emotionally and sexually attacked as a category; they take care of their extremely injured husbands; they take care of their very beloved, battered siblings and fend for orphaned children due to politically related murders to their parents, among many other effects. From a Survey carried out by the Election Resource Centre (ERC) between May and September 2010, women in most parts of Zimbabwe testified that they would not participate in elections for fear of rape, torture, displacements, arson, maiming and murder. The long and short of it is that women bear the brunt of political violence more, whether it is perpetrated directly on them or on others. This is a very significant fact that the International Women's Day cannot afford to miss.

The Millennium Development Goals, international as well as regional agreements and protocols dripping down all the way to national policies and frameworks identify the participation of women in politics as a defining factor in bettering society in the Third World. Translating this rhetoric into reality has been a nightmare as political violence, in all its various forms, effectively displaces women from Zimbabwean politics. In so many settings, those with the ability to mobilise and orchestrate violence using predominantly unemployed and disillusioned youths have had the edge in contesting for electable and even non-electable political office. Women, probably by their very nature, hardly can make use of such approaches and therefore either stay at home or lose out completely if they decide to contest against such formidable odds. The net result is a disenfranchisement of women's participation in politics at all levels, as contestants, as activists or as mere followers. Violence is largely a male domain and as long as it is used as an instrument in political canvassing, then the full or meaningful participation of women is significantly curtailed.

Although the chorus calls for women's participation in elections continue to grow, the unresolved violent confrontations of the 2008 elections have continued to haunt men and women alike. The fact that the mandated Organ for National Healing and Reconciliation has achieved nothing in practical terms makes the general participation of women in the next elections an uphill task. This is not in any way meant to downplay other post-independent political violence episodes that preceded the 2008 despair. 2008 is mentioned here not as a yardstick but the most recent of Zimbabwe's unfortunate political turmoil which has gone uncensored within the context of national healing. It is thus too recent and still brings nightmares to women who lost relatives, friends or children; those whose homes were burnt down or simply destroyed to the extent that their livelihoods have been threatened for a long time to come and indeed those who were displaced, either internally or externally. Women and by extension society will feel safer and politically engaged if true national healing and reconciliation would produce tangible fruits. The current farce, therefore, does nothing to give people assurance that their active participation in politics is not a way of inviting trouble to their doorsteps as they see perpetrators roaming the streets freely!

Political violence in Zimbabwe is a national problem and by far a very significant factor in any analysis that seeks to understand the crux of our politics. The absence of political will by some members of the Inclusive Government to move from a violence-inspired to a new knowledge based political approach is a threat to women's participation in the next elections. Women's organisations and other rights movements need to find new ways of confronting the militarism that has systematically defined politics and elections in Zimbabwe.

The International Women's Day can only be worthwhile if it calls for attention to political violence in Zimbabwe as a strong barrier to women's participation, understand and condemn in the strongest terms possible, this destructive tendency in Zimbabwe. Women organisations and all stakeholders must make women politicians speak out against violence as some of it is happening in their own parties, right under their noses. Electoral democracy makes the most sense if all or a significant cross section of society is allowed to participate and make its constituent voice heard.

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