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Women refuse ‘second fiddle’ tag in constitution

Politics
Violence that has been the hallmark of the country’s political arena since independence has seen women shunning politics.

Violence that has been the hallmark of the country’s political arena since independence has seen women shunning politics.

Report by Phillip Chidavaenzi Senior Features Writer Over the years, there have been efforts to ensure affirmative action in politics as a means of addressing the problem, but of late, some women have argued that such “offers” have tended to demean their status.

  The rapid development of women’s movement in the country has seen women rising in hitherto male-dominated economic and political circles, but breaking the glass ceiling entirely is a dream that is still far off.

  The country’s Constitution has always been a war zone where intriguing gender dynamics have often been played out.

  The new governance charter — already okayed by the two MDC formations — has provided new insights into societal perceptions about women.

  The draft constitution, which Zanu PF, has grudgingly accepted after failing to re-write it, offers women candidates a quota of uncontested 60 parliamentary seats.

  Women’s Coalition chairperson Virginia Muwanigwa said they would have preferred a proportional representation system, because simply handing over seats to women with no contest could be problematic.

  “We will take whatever has been given in the context of the negotiations. But we had been made to understand that this would only happen during the first two sessions of Parliament and we worry about what happens after that,” she said.

  She said non-constituency seats were problematic in that they “can’t carry the same weight” as other contested seats.

  Nevertheless, she said, it was the hope that women who would eventually land seats that would add value in pressing for the recognition of women’s needs and addressing issues that affect their livelihoods.

  “We also believe those who make it (into the seats) will constitute a critical mass,” she said.

  Mavambo/Dawn/Kusile leader Simba Makoni argued that such a provision would not add value to the women’s movement and urged women to reject it because it was patronising.

  “The provision suggests that women can’t stand their own ground. I hope the women of Zimbabwe will reject this particular proposition,” he said.

  John Makumbe, however, said such a provision was good as it sought to deal with the problem of an uneven political field that disenfranchised female politicians.

  “The 60 women (seats) proposed by the draft constitution are necessary. You can’t reject ngoda (diamond) when it’s given to you. That’s ngoda for women,” he said.

  Makumbe said the Copac draft acknowledged that the country was locked in “a very difficult patrimonial system” which entailed the need to legislate equality between the sexes.

  He noted that with the passage of time — during which the political field would have been levelled — such a legislative provision would no longer be necessary.

  “After 10 years it may not be necessary,” he said. “The reason why women are reluctant to participate in politics is the violence.” Makumbe described the draft as “a negotiated document that happens to contain the views of the people”.

  The draft constitution exempts women from the death penalty and this has raised an outcry, as some people have labelled it as discriminating against men who will face the hangman’s noose.

  Muwanigwa said this provision was “an unwanted bonus” that the women’s movement had not campaigned for, although it had found its way into the draft.

  “To be honest, it’s an unwanted bonus. We want to say no to the death penalty (as it applies to both men and women).

  “We recognise the pain and the anger of those whose loved ones are killed, but we don’t believe in using the same method to address the problem,” she said.

  She said although those who inserted the provision may have felt they were doing women a favour, women however, viewed it as “mischievous”.

  There was, however, no consensus among female politicians concerning the proposed provision where female legislators would be entitled to 60 uncontested seats allocated on a proportional representation basis, in addition to other seats guaranteed under the 50-50 gender parity.

  Biata Nyamupinga, chairperson of the Parliamentary Women’s Caucus, recently dismissed the proposal, saying although she was a strong advocate of the 50-50 gender parity, she was against the setting aside of 60 additional seats.

  However, Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community Development deputy minister Jessie Majome has thrown her weight behind the proposal which she said would increase the number of women representatives in Parliament.

  “Those seats will dramatically increase the number of women in Parliament and they are not even free seats, but are seats not attached to any constituency,” she said.

  “I would like those seats to be removed only when gender parity has been attained because right now women cannot compete at an equal level with men because of their financial status.” Muwanigwa, however, said the draft charter had better provisions regarding women than the Lancaster Constitution.

  Owing to the 50-50 campaign, and the Sadc Gender and Development Protocol target of 30% women representation in Parliament by 2015, political parties will be required to second women candidates to take those seats up on a proportional representation basis.