The Sunday News
Mthabisi Tshuma, Sunday Life Correspondent
AS Madeleine Albright alludes that, “there is a place in hell for women who do not help other women”, prominent businesswomen known in the entertainment scene as Bulawayo Ladies have adhered to the phrase and are facilitating projects meant to empower women in the city.
Inspired by the good generous work of the First Lady, Amai Auxillia Mnangagwa, the group which has over 150 members is involved in various businesses. They support each other financially and also make time to discuss business strategies.
With a focus on infrastructure, catering, weaving, farming, poultry and recently educational funding projects, the group aims to eliminate the mentality of women being dependent on their spouses.
In an interview with Sunday Life, founder Diana Chinunda said as social media is a key factor to listen, engaging, and building relationships, they use the platform to create stable and independent women.
“Social media is about people and not about your business. Thus as Bulawayo Ladies we believe in the mantra that ‘provide for the people and the people will provide for you’.
“Thus we use the platform to engage in issues on how to deal with our families.
“These can be on how to treat your children, your husband and even your in-laws. If you take a closer look, a lot of families have crumbled because of failure to juggle and give fair treatment to all the above mentioned,” said Chinunda.
She added that the group has victims of sexual abuse who have been assisted and are now stable emotionally and financially.
“The thing that most women are yet to learn is that nobody gives you power. You just take it as the Bulawayo Ladies are doing. With the economic crisis with sky-rocketing prices, we have also established a burial society which we plan to register as a company.
“When I started this I never thought it would be such a success thus we have gone to see that we introduce new things from time to time. We have two burial societies named Bulawayo Ladies A and Bulawayo Ladies B.
“The societies have their own pastors, catering women and covers a lump sum of over 5 000 Rand,” she said.
Last Saturday night the Bulawayo Ladies met to celebrate their founder’s 39th birthday.
The venue was turned upside down as over 200 people thronged the venue to give it a lively fever. The group will be celebrating their anniversary at the end of the month and a gig has been slated for the day.
