Women and the political making of Zimbabwe

Vincent Gono, Features Editor
THE story of Zimbabwe’s surge towards its making as a liberated, free, united and sovereign state as well as its development can never be complete without one looking at the people who made that possible, achievable. It is from there where it becomes glaring that the gender parity narratives can neither be wished away to the forgetful wind of embedded patriarchy that blows tirelessly in Africa or outrightly be ignored.

That a lot of women exhibited a lot of courage and resilience and fought shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts in the fight against colonialism is a fact. It is also an undisputable historical fact that the First Chimurenga of 1896 was pioneered by a female whose national recognition only came a little late.

Credit should be given to the Second Republic however, for its effort in retelling the story of Zimbabwe from a gender inclusive national standpoint. Women have from time immemorial been instrumental in the political making of Zimbabwe in their different roles and through the Zimbabwe Order of Merit Awards an apt new way of recognising outstanding achievement in the various spheres of development have been found.

Inspiration should be drawn from personalities such as Mbuya Nehanda, Jane Ngwenya, Joana Mafuyana-Nkomo, Ruth Chinamano, Victoria Chitepo, Sally Mugabe, Joice Mujuru, Oppah Muchinguri, Angeline Masuku, Ruth Maboyi, Vivian Mwashita, Sithembiso Nyoni and many others departed and alive who were directly or through marriage association involved in the struggle to the political making of Zimbabwe.

Those that are alive have scars both physically and emotionally and their role needs not to be overemphasised.

They ably demonstrated that the struggle for the making of the country was not a Rambo affair where one single-handedly did everything but a collective one.

Deputy secretary for Women’s League in the Politburo Cde Angeline Masuku – a former resident minister who worked in the Publicity Department of Zapu under the late Cde Kotsho Dube in the liberation struggle said it was important to recognise the role of women in the political reconstruction of the country as an independent state.

She said of Cde Jane Ngwenya who was buried last Friday at the National Heroes Acre in Harare that she was a founding mother of the liberation struggle urging young Zimbabweans to emulate the courage, sacrifice and resoluteness demonstrated by Cde Ngwenya.

“She was our senior and we learnt a lot from her. He recognition as a national heroine was only natural. No-one doubted her credentials as a nationalist. She was one of the most senior standing Zapu cadre who could tell you how the party was formed and how the liberation struggle was executed. She was a cistern of wisdom and an inspiration to many who she interacted with. She sat at every table, local, regional and international and some of us were privileged to have worked under her and tap into her wisdom,” said Cde Masuku.

Going forward, she said the country had a duty of changing the mindset of many women and build confidence so that they move away from the position of being minors in the political scheme of things.

“They still lack that confidence that we had and some don’t want to take up politics claiming that it is abrasive and violent but they should draw inspiration from people such as Cde Jane Ngwenya and many more. Women should understand that it is politics that create policies that govern the socio-economic structures and being involved is the only way they can make their voices heard,” she added.

Another politician who was in the thick of things during the struggle Cde Ruth Maboyi said she was against the idea of favours in the recognition of women.

“We don’t want any favours. What we want is information just like any other person. We want to compete on an equal footing with men based on merit, capacity and ability and not from a deliberate policy of privilege. We are as good, intelligent and strong as men. What we want are the cultural and economic barriers to be removed so that women can get access to loans without the demand for collateral,” said Cde Maboyi.

She added that the fact that women fought in the liberation struggle meant that they knew what they wanted – they were politically conscious and it should be natural that they were offered the opportunities on an equal footing with men to close the gender inequality gap.

Political analyst and lecturer at Great Zimbabwe University Dr Last Alfandika said it was political folly to ignore the role of women in the Zimbabwean politics as seen through the role played by Charwe, the spirit medium of Mbuya Nehanda Nyakasikana who led the early resistance to European settlers around June 1896’s in what became known as the First Chimurenga. Unfortunately, he said, she was captured in 1897, charged with murder and executed through hanging.

“Through what Charwe the spirit medium of Mbuya Nehanda had done, several women were motivated to go and join the liberation struggle war to fight for their country and indeed, the war front was a shared responsibility between men and women. We have women who participated in the liberation struggle, some did not use guns but some had to take guns.

I mean our mothers and sisters in the villages, cooked, washed and even offered entertainment for our fighting comrades. These contributions are not mean, they are immense as they suffered in executing these duties. Some were exposed to various ailments, hunger, and some did not live enough to bear witness to some forms of abuse,” said Dr Alfandika.

He added that  a number rose to fame because of their contribution in the liberation struggle such as Cde, Teurai Ropa, known as Joice Mujuru who became a commander at Chimoio camp in Mozambique in 1976. She led women guerrillas who carried arms of war from the rear camp in Luangwa to the Zambezi River.

He also mentioned the Minister of Defence, Oppah Muchinguri who joined the liberation struggle in 1975 with other girls from Manicaland. She became the Secretary to the High Command where she worked with General Josiah Magama Tongogara, Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Monica Mutsvangwa among others.

Dr Alfandika noted that women who had shown capacity and leadership acumen were thrown into deep positions of authority. He cited the example of Vivian Mwashita who was deployed to the front in the Tete province under ZANLA where she participated in some of the biggest battles in Hwata and Petamukombe just like any other men. In 1979, she joined other female comrades who were carrying ammunition across the border with Mozambique.

As we move forward, Dr Alfandika said, issues of gender balance need to be seriously looked at. The women are still lagging behind although efforts are being made to bring them to equal terms with men in terms of political representations. He said women were equally exposed to the vagaries of the liberation struggle and many today bear the scars of the liberation war and that fact alone deserves recognition.