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Raw deal for Zanu PF women
The Standard -By Foster Dongozi
April 24, 2005

http://www.thestandard.co.zw/read.php?st_id=2240

ZANU PF women, who were promised heaven on earth before the Parliamentary elections in March, must be feeling cheated after the ruling party used promises of new measures towards "gender equality" in order to hoodwink them into voting it back into power.

What some of the disillusioned women describe as "skulduggery," started just before the ruling party's December Congress when Zanu PF used women's empowerment as an excuse to sideline Emmerson Mnangagwa from the position of vice president in favour of President Mugabe's preferred candidate, Joice Mujuru.

From then on, the ruling party went on a crusade, telling women that it wanted to implement a 30 percent quota on all the senior positions and that would include aspiring MPs.

The ruling party soon came unstuck as it became clear that meeting the 30 percent quota would present a spot of bother as many loyalists were anxious to be accommodated on the gravy train.

Mugabe's relatives and some male politicians could not be sacrificed on the rather inconvenient alter of women's emancipation, it emerged.

In Zvimba South, Mashonaland West province, 'Mai Sabina Mugabe' President Mugabe's sister was not challenged in the primary elections.

In the same province, in Manyame constituency,

Mugabe's nephew, Patrick Zhuwao's opponent, Bybit Tsomondo 'withdrew from the primaries and "threw her support" behind Zhuwao.

She did not explain why she withdrew from the race although her husband was arrested at around the same time.

The President's other nephew, Leo Mugabe wrested Makonde constituency, which had earlier on been earmarked for a female candidate.

Although Professor Jonathan Moyo had put a lot of resources in campaigning for the Tsholotsho constituency, when he fell out of favour with the party leadership, Tsholotsho was suddenly declared a women's constituency although nobody had shown an interest in it.

In Rushinga constituency, Zanu PF ditched incumbent Member of Parliament Lazarus Dokora after he was alleged to have attended the constroversil Tsholotsho meeting which is accused of producing the so-called Tsholotsho Declaration.

As a form of punishment, the constituency was offered to female candidates.

From the 30 female Zanu PF candidates who contested in the elections, 13 made it into Parliament but Mugabe's recently announced Cabinet is appears not to embrace the women's empowerment agenda that his party preached before elections.

Out of the 31 Cabinet ministers he appointed, only four are Cabinet ministers.

They are mainly known loyalists, Oppah Muchinguri, Sithembiso Nyoni, Flora Buka and Olivia Muchena.

Of the four, only Muchena heads an empowering ministry; that of Science and Technology Development.

Muchinguri heads the women's affairs ministry, while Nyoni is in charge at the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises whose major constituency are cross border traders and vendors.

Buka is a Minister of State for Special Affairs Responsible for Land and Resettlement Programme although the government says the resettlement programme has been completed.

Out of the 20 deputy ministers appointed by Mugabe, only one is a woman, Abigail Damasane, was predictably accommodated at the women's affairs ministry. Damasane has over the years risen to prominence in the ruling party for treating Zanu PF delegates to raunchy dances during high profile meetings.

When The Standard asked Mugabe if his cabinet reflected the desired female quota, he implied the majority of female candidates who made it into Parliament were not cabinet material, resulting in his appointing Nyoni to ensure gender equality.

"Well, we tried but then we had to get people who come from the people. That is why we had to appoint somebody who did not win (Nyoni)," Mugabe said.

The director of Women in Politics Support Unit (Wipsu), Tsitsi Matekaire, said her organisation was not happy with the fewer number of female cabinet ministers.

Wipsu is an organisation that seeks to empower female politicians with leadership skills.

"We are not happy that there are very few female Cabinet ministers in the line-up that was announced recently despite earlier promises. Female Cabinet ministers right now are those who were retained like Buka, Nyoni and Muchena. While one deputy minister, Shuvai Mahofa was dropped and was replaced by Damasane.

"At the same time, none of the powerful ministries like finance are being run by women," said Matekaire.

Former legislator, Evelyn Masaiti, said the claim by Zanu PF that it wanted to empower women was not true.

"That was just an election gimmick. The poor representation of women in cabinet is an indication that Zanu PF does not have the interests of women at heart. The fact that women were given ministries that are not vital to the economy means that women are regarded as minors who cannot make wise decisions," Masaiti said.

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