A call for Cabinet gender balance

By Newsday | Sep. 14, 2023 | 2 Min read

So it came as a real shock that Mnangagwa appears determined to maintain the status quo of limiting women’s chances of assuming leadership positions.

PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Cabinet announced this week has sent tongues wagging.

One of the major talking points is the appointment of only six female ministers out of the 26 Mnangagwa named as his think-tank, yet Zimbabwe long committed to increasing gender balance in key national institutions as implored by the United Nations sustainable development goal (SDG) number 5 which partly states: “Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world.”

So it came as a real shock that Mnangagwa appears determined to maintain the status quo of limiting women’s chances of assuming leadership positions.

By maintaining a ceiling on the number of women in Cabinet, Mnangagwa is sending a very retrogressive message to the world and it clearly suggests that he is either being ill-advised or he is simply keen on satisfying his personal whims.

The continued stifling of women’s rise in government is making it abundantly clear that Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF party are not prepared to compromise on many fronts. Failure to promote the advancement of women in his and party circles speaks volumes of his many pledges at local, regional and global levels.

The Monday appointments clearly exposed his total disregard for women, which is very unfortunate. Appointing only six women to head ministries is token appreciation of the key role women play in our society. By failing or refusing to raise the number of female ministers, he is perpetuating the subjugation and marginalisation of this significant proportion of our population.

Fundamentally, as the sages keep reminding us: “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned”, Mnangagwa is setting himself up for failure because gender equality is a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable nation.

Appointment of at least 10 women would have sent positive signals that he is keen on doing something about balancing the gender equation in key national institutions which should be at the forefront of showing the country’s commitment to the global conventions it acceded to.

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