BY SHARON SIBINDI
FIRST LADY Auxillia Mnangagwa last week said she was worried over the low numbers of women politicians in the country.
Addressing female war veterans in Bulawayo on Thursday, Mnangagwa said politics is the only way through which women can find themselves in Parliament and be able to push for issues affecting them.
“In Parliament, women are very few to be influential. Women are very hardworking, they are not a burden, especially you that came from war, nothing is hard for you,” she said.
Section 124 of the Constitution provides for the equal representation of women in Parliament through the appointment of 60 non-constituency legislators.
“My wish is, if it is possible, like all other nations in the world, they (female combatants) have their day of celebrating their freedom fighters, sounding their drums and celebrating to thank them for bringing freedom to the country, so that we show our children that we were there during the war. It is through you female war veterans that we have this freedom. It was through your courage that we see women today in influential positions.
“They are many problems you are facing; there are ministries which will help you to survive. I know they are many things you wish, yes it will happen and very soon you will see the reason why you went to war,” she said.
She said ministries, such as that of Women Affairs, help women in their endeavours while the Ministry of Defence is the war veterans parent ministry to which they can send all their grievances.
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Recently, the Midlands chapter of the Women Coalition of Zimbabwe resolved to lobby key stakeholders and government to extend the parliamentary quota system beyond 2023.
