Gold has no shine for abused Umzingwane women

02 Oct, 2022 - 00:10 0 Views
Gold has no shine for abused Umzingwane women Gold panners

The Sunday News

From Sifelani Tsiko in Umzingwane

Gold panning and the spin-offs that come with it, are the heart and lungs of Umzingwane District in Matabeleland South province.

The precious metal brings money to many artisanal miners, popularly known as omakorokoza, who have flooded every nook and crevice of this dry and arid district.

This lucrative trade in gold is interlinked with many factors and rarely glitters for women.

Firstly, gold panning has violent gangs who often fight with machetes, axes, knives and all sorts of weapons for mine controls and trade issues.

 

 

The anger emanating from these fights often spills over to women in public spaces – trading food, water and wares.

Secondly, gold panning brings business for women vendors who sell various wares, clothes, food and beer to omakorokoza.

Thirdly, the constant demand from male gold artisanal miners for sex workers has intensified with increasing opening of mining sites dotted around the district.

Prostitution contributes to the increase of HIV/Aids and other sexually transmitted diseases in communities around gold mining sites.

machete

The prevalence rate of HIV/Aids is quite high. Apart from these factors, gold panning activities have led to early child marriages, school dropouts, heavy drinking and excessive substance abuse.

All these factors have made the environment insecure for women who face all kinds of abuse in public spaces.

Even though gold mining activities are bringing profits to mine claim owners, gold dealers, gold panners and other key suppliers for the sector, women are getting trinkets, increasing their economic vulnerability.

Due to their economic status, women build resilience strategies around vending wares, water trading, catering and some illicit activities.

Some women who come from disadvantaged backgrounds are often involved in prostitution to survive.

Young girls are lured by promises of quick money as waitresses in bars, restaurants, shebeens and food vending stalls around Umzingwane district.

“There are young girls, some aged around 13 or 15, who are recruited mostly by madams who run canteens, bars and restaurants,” said a food vendor at Habane Extension in Esigodini.

“The girls are exploited. When they get clients, mainly omakorokoza, they give all the money to the madam bosses. Most of these girls are only given food, accommodation and very little money.

“They pay a heavy price – they get Aids and STIs. It’s so sad.  At times they are abused by artisanal miners who refuse to pay them.”

Recently, UN Women and Katswe Sistahood, a local non-governmental organisation ran a public campaign in Umzingwane titled: “Creating safe and empowering public spaces for women and girls.”

Conversations that emerged from the campaign showed that heavy drinking and substance abuse by artisanal miners is exposing women in Umzingwane to                                                          regular physical and verbal violence in public spaces.

The women complained that most local men and artisanal miners were drinking significantly more alcohol than they had in past decades with damaging results.

Young girls and women here are at the mercy of sexual harassment by drunken omakorokoza.

Female vendors, informal traders, sex workers and young girls are being exposed to sexual abuse and violence as they ply their trade in public spaces.

sexual abuse

“As vendors and informal traders we bear the brunt of sexual harassment in public spaces,” said Ms Thandolwenkosi Ndlovu of Mawabeni village.

“Omakorokoza can be a violent lot when they are drunk. They can refuse to pay for things we sell, they can vandalise our stalls and in worse situations they can urinate or mess up our vending sites if you turn them down when they are demanding sexual favours.”

Gold rarely glitters for them.

“Yes, they make money from the gold they get, but the gold doesn’t glitter or shine for us as women,” said Ms Sihle Nxumalo of Terrylln village in Umzingwane.

“We’re getting nothing. We only get change from the gold panning activities.  We only harvest abuse from men who drink excessively and take drugs.

“Beer halls should be closed down. Our children are exposed to sex and beer drinking by these artisanal miners. They no longer see education and hard work as valuable.”

Ms Tafadzwa Makausi, an administrative officer at Umzingwane Rural District Council said the UN Women campaign was important as it was raising awareness and empowering women to understand their rights, where to report cases of abuse and how to join forces to fight gender based violence cases.

“This is a very important campaign in our district. GBV is a priority hazard in our district because of a huge influx of artisanal miners,” she said.

“We welcome our partners to our district. We need more support to raise awareness on GBV issues as well as to scale up women’s empowerment projects.”

Ms Debra Mwase, programme manager of Katswe Sisterhood, an implementing partner of the Spotlight Initiative said plans were underway to build a US$90 000 safe market to help end violence against women and girls in Esigodini.

She said the safe market would ensure that women and girls are safe and participate actively in the local economy.

“The safe market which will be constructed soon at Habane Extension here in Umzingwane will address issues of gender based violence in public spaces,” Ms Mwase said.

“This is part of the UN Women flagship programme on safe cities and safe public spaces.”

UN Women is partnering with Katswe Sisterhood and the Government on a Safe Cities-Safe Public Spaces-Safe Markets Flagship Programme which seeks to end violence against women and girls in public spaces.

The project is being piloted in Epworth, Chipinge and Umzingwane.

Sexual harassment and other forms of violence in public spaces is a daily reality for women and girls in Zimbabwe and most parts of the world.

It often happens on the streets, in public transportation, in and around schools or workplaces, public toilets, water and food distribution sites and parks.

“Alcohol and substance abuse are a huge challenge here. Young people and men have access to cheap and dangerous alcohol brands and end up abusing women in public spaces,” said Mr Thando Ndlovu, a village head of Terrylln.

“Men rely on gold panning for their survival.  It’s so tragic that they spend all the money they get on alcohol. There are no other forms of entertainment apart from beer and ‘Umjolo’ (clubbing). We don’t have sporting facilities and other chicken, goat and livestock rearing projects.

“We need a paradigm shift from gold panning to other viable agricultural projects such as livestock rearing, market gardening and so on. It’s gold and beer which is bringing more GBV cases. It’s gold because of money, it’s beer because of the lack of other forms of entertainment.”

The US$1 for two cheap and toxic beer brands are deadly and are awash in the district.

Sexual harassment and other forms of violence in public spaces is a daily reality for women and girls in Zimbabwe and most other African countries.

It happens on the streets, in public transportation, in and around schools and workplaces, public toilets, business centres, water and food distribution points and other public spaces.

Gender based violence cases are rising in Umzingwane due to an influx of artisanal miners who perpetuate physical and verbal violence as well as promiscuity.

UN Women has been working with various local NGOs and community based organisations (CBOs) under the Spotlight Initiative supported through a partnership between the European Union and UN to end violence against women and girls and harmful practices.

“Alcohol and substance abuse should not be an excuse for perpetually perpetrating violence against women in public spaces,” said Mr Innocent Katsande, UN Women communications specialist.

“Being drunk is not a license to harass women in the streets. The rising trend of public violence against women and girls should not be allowed to continue. It should stop.”

Mr Katsande said the campaign aims to raise awareness on the need to respect women and girls in public spaces.

“The rising trend of abuse, harassment and violence in the streets, bus ranks, and market places should stop,” he said.

“Women should be free and safe to go about their daily business without having to look over their shoulders.”

Decorated poet and UN Women ambassador for violence free spaces campaign Albert Nyathi called on men to respect women in public spaces and to desist from excessive drinking which often led to physical and verbal violence against women.

“Men must respect women. Men must be at the frontline of protecting women against physical and verbal abuse,” he said.

“Whenever men see an abusive man, they must come together to stop the abuse of women. Every one of us has a role to play in ending violence in public spaces.”

Zimbabwe is among the 20 countries in Africa, Latin America, Asia – Pacific and the Caribbean which have benefited from the four-year programme supported by the EU to the tune of US$30 million.

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