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WOZA Moya April 2004 - 24 years after Independence! Are Women Celebrating?
Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA)
April 30, 2004

WOZA means 'Come forward'. By women for women and with women, across race, colour, creed, class or political persuasion. Empowering women to be courageous, caring, committed and in communication with their communities.

24 years after Independence! Are Women Celebrating? Are they free in Zimbabwe? Are they congratulating each other and celebrating? NO, THEY ARE SAYING.. ZIMBABWEANS: NEDZOYI - LANGALEZO - CONDOLENCES

What were the promises made in 1980?
One Man One Vote / Education For All / Accessible Health Services & Housing / Employment & Opportunities

What promises do we still have in place in 2004?
Do we still have ONE MAN ONE VOTE? NO! Elections are being conducted in a violent atmosphere instead of being free and fair! The Constitution with its Bill of Rights is in shambles. How can the Imbodza/ Imboza ka Lancaster Constitution protect our rights? It allows itself to be gang raped to spawn unjust laws and is used to strip us of our remaining rights.

What is a constitution?
A constitution is a set of laws and principles, which direct how an organisation or country is governed. It contains a social contract (agreement) between people and their leaders, determining their political, economic and social relations. In a democratic country, ordinary citizens have sovereign power (final authority) in that they choose who will govern them. The constitution guides the electoral process. Elections are the main way that ordinary citizens can control the national decision-making process. Periodic elections ensure that citizens have the opportunity to choose effective leaders (i.e. those that achieve positive results and practical improvements) and remove ineffective leaders. Elections remind leaders that they are accountable to the people they serve, and that government works best when it is based on the consent of the governed.

Do we still have EDUCATION FOR ALL?
NO! It is estimated that in 2004 over 40% of children will drop out of school, their parents can no longer afford school fees. Free Primary Education did not last beyond the 80's.

Do we still have ACCESSIBLE HEALTH SERVICES AND HOUSING?
NO! The state cannot provide normal health services, never mind help those suffering from the HIV/Aids pandemic. The terminally ill are sent home to die. As to housing, we now live like rats in holes divided up by pieces of cloth.

Do we still have EMPLOYMENT AND OPPORTUNITIES?
NO! Unemployment is now almost 90%. It is hard to find an honest way to earn a living. Those that are still employed pay 45% taxation and most of the rest goes on transport. Taxation could be better used in generating more jobs than in buying tear gas to disperse peaceful workers when they march to protest against high taxation. The new way to siphon our pockets is called VAT, supposed to be Value Added Tax but it is Vampires Added Torture. Soon the cost of Water and Electricity will be unaffordable to ordinary citizens.

ZVAKWANA - SOKWANELE - ENOUGH IS ENOUGH - A NEW CONSTITUTION WILL SAFEGUARD THE PEOPLE FROM POLITICIANS WHO MAKE EMPTY PROMISES!

Women also demand the following minimum standards for the restoration of democratic elections in 2005 and beyond! These principles are contained in the SADC Parliamentary Forum "Election Norms and Standards". We need these principles to give us HOPE that our human rights will once again be respected in Zimbabwe!

• Restore the Rule of Law - the current plague of corruption is a direct result of this principle being ignored.
• Restore basic freedoms and rights - we want to be free to mix and mingle, when we want to, where we want to and with whom we want to. Repeal POSA and open up the airwaves for all views to be heard.
• Establish an independent election commission (IEC)
• Restore public confidence in the electoral process - Conduct an audit of the voter's role and allow voter education.
• Our vote is our secret - we believe this, do you?

WOZA went out to interview women on Independence Day 2004; here are some of the interviews.

English Summary of Interviews conducted 18 April 2004
The interviewees, widows aged above 44 years with more than 6 dependants each felt that they was nothing to celebrate on Independence Day 2004. They all said that instead of congratulating each other they would offer condolences. Two of the women spoke about the disgrace of flying the Zimbabwe Flag when most houses were now flying red cloths to signify a dying nation. The women also had one solution, which was to take to the streets and put pressure on the regime for their empty promises of 1980. They wanted hope and prosperity but got despair and suffering. The women painfully showed us pictures of their lives in the early 80's but then pointed to their cramped homes filled with broken furniture, empty cupboards and cold stoves of 18 April 2004.

Gugulethu (60) - Widowed businesswoman. Mother of 4:
Konke esakuthenjiswa ngo 1980 akwenzakalanga yonke into ikhwela nsuku zonke. Kusukela khona lithathwa lelo lizwe sibi sesawudo liyadula, into eyayengancitshwanwa. Pho ke, izithembiso zika 1980 zingaphi? Ukuhlupheka kumandla! Ngakho ke asilayo enye into esingayenza phandle kokuthi sibaphe ubunzima obukhulu ngokutshengisela imihla ngemihla, sale sisezitaladeni ngoba ukukhulumisana labo laba Bantu akutshintshi lutho. Omama yibo abahlupheka okwedlula wonke umuntu kuleli lizwe, yibo abanakekela abantwana ikakhulu ekuguleni njengoba umkhuhlane ubhahile. Ukudla, lemithi akukho, lalawo maphilisi okuthiwa ngama Anti-Retroviral Drugs aya kwabalutshwana abangani lezihlobo. Thina omama yithi kuphela esingaletha lokhu kwahluka. Ngithi Phambili ngokutshengisela. Interviewer: Ngemva kwalokhu kuxoxa obekusobala ukuthi lumama ubesizwa ubuhlungu ngimbuzile ukuthi yena uthini ngaleli langa lokujabulela inkululeko? UGugulethu Uthe lothu, weza lemfanekiso yakhe ekuphileni kwakhe ngemva kwe Independence lakusukela ku 1980 echasisa ngezinyembezi uthe "Mina ngithi langalezi -nhlupho eziya phambili."

Edith (72) - Widow, ex-Teacher. Mother of 12:
Abantu bathenjiswa izinto ezinengi, kodwa isimanga yikuthi konke lokhu sekungaphezu kokwenelisa kukazulu. Sathenjiswa njalo izindlu kuzulu wonke ngo 2000 kodwa osekwenzakala yikuthi inengi ngamaloja, njalo akulamuntu osebenza kuleli ongenelisa intengo yendlu. Imisebenzi esayithenjiswayo kayikho okwenzakalayo yikuthi abantu bakhutshwa imisebenzi. Ilizwe leli belinothile kodwa itshaphaziwe linotho. USmith wazama ukuxwayisa wathi, lingavuli impompi yemali angthi livula impompi yamanzi, abaze bamlalela. Lokhu kwandisa uhlupho, thina uzulu, endaweni yokuthi yonke le imali yokuphapha nsuku zonke yandiswe ngokuvula amafekitali kungabi lamuntu oba yisiphepheli ngokuswela. Abantwabethu lamhlanje bayizi phepheli emazweni wonke, ngenxa yendlala. Yebo kambe leyo nkululeko bayithola abayitholayo ngegazi, kodwa ke bonke abantu ababebasekela labo balwi abakhangelwa muntu, kodwa kuyibo abenza leyo nkululeko etshiwoyo, yaphumelela baphathwa njengezinja. Laba bantu yibo khathe si abangaselalutho bachithekelwa yinotho yabo yonke, kanye lemizi yabo. Lamhlanje ilanga ngalinye eZimbabwe liletha ukwesaba empilweni zabantu. Ngoba ukuvele usole nje, kuhlezi kusaziwa ukuthi kumele unyamalale, loba utshaywe utshiywe estitshini sokufa. Ngakho mina lenengi leZimbabwe asiboni sizatho sokuthaba sisithi amhlophe ngoba kawakho lawo amhlophe akhona. Langenkathazo lezi zeminyaka engamatshumi amabili lane okuhlupheka.

Rumbidzai (44) - Widow, Trade Unionist. Mother of 5:
Hapana chakachinja, kubvira 1980 kusvika pare zvino. Vana vaikudza vabereki vavo, asi iye zvino ne Independence iyi, ma Born Free ariku dzidziswa kurova babereki, nokuuraya, asi taifara tichiti tawana rusununguko. MuZimbabwe madzimai atisi kuwana kodzero semadzimai edzimwe nyika. Sesu shirikadzi, takafirwa nevarume vaishandira hurumende asi kapenjeni kacho akasikumbotibatsira. Chero ndichishanda, apana zvirikundibatstira nokuti maomero oupenyu watirikurarama arikundiita kuti, ndisakwanisa zvachose kudzidzisa vana vangu nokuvapa chikafu chakakodzera. Saka ndiri kuti madzimai handei, tinoratidzira zvese zvatisiri kugutsikana nazvo, kuti tinzvike. Vimbiso yedzidzo irikupi? Ndirikuti hurumende ngaitarise madzimai zvikuru shirikadzi ne nherera nyika yose. Ini zuva ranhasi, ririkundirwadza saka ndirikuti, nedzoyi! Nhasi ava makore makumi maviri nemana tichitambura pameso angu ndirikuona rufu, regai kusimudza mureza weZimbabwe. Simudzai mireza mitsuku, yerufu!

Tendai (51) - Domestic Worker. Mother of 3:
Ndirikunzwa misodzi yangu ichida kuerera kana ndichiona vanhu vachifarira nzara, rufu nezvirwere. Saka chero ivo vachifara ini zvangu andisi, nokuti chokwadi ndechekuti tava nemakore makumi mabiri nemana tichitambudzika pasina kana chakambo chinja. Asi kana ndichifunga mushure mema kore aya kuti chingwa chaicho, taiita chokushara, kuti ndinofarira kudya chekuneipi Bakery. Chikafu chese chemumba ne 25cents chaiyo, ndaidya nevana svondo rese. Asi iye zvino kamuzukuru kangu ikaka ukakapa 500 dollars, kanho kuudza kuti ayitenge chinhu. Ma Born Free aya ndiwo apinduka kuita mhandu dzedu, asi vari hura hwedu. Mai we kani, todii ko mwari, asi chiripo ndechokuti vana ivava varikuudzwa Nhema dzega asi vachidzidziswa ruvengo nehumondi. Mooyo wangu urikundirwadza kana ndakuzvibvunvza kuti, ko rusununguko rwacho ruripi? Kudzvinyirirwa koga ndiko kuripo. Saka chasara chete, ndechekuti vanhu vose vabude tiende kunoratidzira nemhuuwandu hwedu. Uye zve ndiri kuti matambudziko aya emakore makumi maviri namana enhamo! Mureza we Zimbabwe ngauremekedzwe. Nenhamho dzakadai ngakusimudzwe machira matsuku ekuchema.

Rudo (57) Widow, Cross Border Vendor. Mother of 5:
Ndiri kurarama nenzira dzakaomarara zvikuru, ndato rasikirwa ne temba, rese rokurarama. Kutengesa kwandaiita mu South Africa, andichakwanisi nokuti ndakugara ndakarambidzwa kuwana Visa, uye zwe vanhu vomuZimbabwe avachidikanwa mune dzimwenyika. Murume wangu akafa muna 1984 ndirikuwana 300 dollars pamwedzi chete se penjeni. Independence yavarikufarira iyi inofarirawa ne vanhu vashoma vari ivo vanoda zvematongero enyika, kwete ruzhinji rwe Zimbabwe. Saka andisikuti Makorokoti asi kuti, nedzoyi!

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Phone: 011-213-885 / 09-63978
Email: woza@mango.zw

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