THE Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has paid tribute to its former vice-president Sithokozile Siwela, hailing her as a fearless trade unionist and a tireless champion of workers’ and women’s rights.
Siwela, who was also a Salvation Army Church Magwegwe Corps Sergeant Major, passed away on June 28 at the age of 55.
She is survived by a son.
ZCTU secretary-general Tirivanhu Marimo described her death as a profound loss to the labour movement.
Born on April 4, 1971 in Bulawayo, Siwela showed leadership early, serving as a prefect throughout most of her primary school years and later becoming a girls’ guide leader in high school.
After leaving school, she worked as a stock clerk for the Edgars Group before being promoted to trainee store manager, but previously having trained as a turner machinist, a trade dominated by men.
She did her apprenticeship between 1995 and 1999, when only two women were among 48 trainees.
Siwela later joined the National Railways of Zimbabwe, where just four women were counted among more than 1 000 artisans.
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“She always said it was very difficult to work with men at first, as they looked down upon women thinking they could not do the job,” the ZCTU secretary-general said.
“She proved them wrong, she could do the job perfectly, even better than some of them.”
Siwela’s union journey began in 1998 while she was still an apprentice.
Though initially barred from joining because membership was restricted to full-time artisans, she attended meetings regardless, eventually becoming a member of the Railways Artisans Union (RAU).
She became branch vice-secretary, then was elected vice-chairperson of the RAU Women’s Desk in 2001.
That same year, she joined the ZCTU Southern Region Women’s Advisory Council.
By 2002, she was chairperson of the RAU Women’s Desk and a committee member of the ZCTU Women’s Advisory Council (WAC).
In 2006, she was overwhelmingly elected WAC secretary, a role she held until 2011, when she was elevated to ZCTU first vice-president.
The ZCTU credited Siwela with playing a pivotal role in pushing for constitutional reforms within the federation to ensure greater inclusion of women and youths.
“Being the ZCTU WAC secretary, she worked very hard to change the ZCTU constitution, which had some sections that were either not favourable for women or youths, or did not include them at all,” Marimo said.
Beyond activism, Siwela pursued legal and labour studies.
Through the ZCTU, she completed a paralegal course and a Postgraduate Diploma in Law specialising in Conciliation and Arbitration in 2005.
She also undertook several international labour programmes.
On the regional and global stage, she represented Zimbabwean women workers through the Southern Africa Trade Union Co-ordination Council and at one point served on the governing structures of the International Labour Organization.
Siwela will be laid to rest this week.
Funeral arrangements have not yet been made public.
