Zimbabwe’s by-elections expose gender disparities as few women win seats

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Zimbabwe’s March 26 by-elections exposed the struggles women politicians are facing in the fight to end male dominance with only a handful managing to win the National Assembly seats that were at stake.

The hotly contested polls were the first to be held in the country in two years following a ban on electoral processes by the government, which cited the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), only 21.4 percent of the candidates that won National Assembly seats were female.

Only 15.5 percent of the candidates that won council seats in the 122 wards that were at stake were women.

There were 28 National Assembly seats that were up for grabs after the Douglas Mwonzora-led MDC- recalled MDC Alliance legislators.

Other vacancies were created by deaths of incumbents and recalls by the ruling Zanu PF party.

Female politicians in Zimbabwe complain of a prejudiced and violent environment where abuse is common.

Sibongile Dube, who wants to contest for a ward in Hwange as an independent candidate, said the elections showed that women still faces serious barriers in their efforts to attain political office.

“Women are viewed as people who should be married and look after their families and this is what all women should work on abolishing,” Dube said.

“Women are putting themselves forward for political positions, but their numbers are still far compared to men.

“This is because women continue to be side-lined in decision-making. The stigmatisation of women in politics is still alive.

“Women continue to face structural, socioeconomic, institutional and cultural barriers when seeking political office.”

She said removing the barriers would require the government, civil society, media, academia, the private sector and youth to work together in raising awareness.

Fadzayi Mahere, the spokesperson for the Citizens Coalition for Change, said there was need to give female and male candidates’ equal opportunities during elections.

“The mere fact of being a woman does not give one the right to lead,” Mahere wrote in an opinion piece published by The Guardian recently.

“Both men and women must be held to the same standards of non-patriarchal values, integrity, accountability, transparency; these are all key components of ethical leadership, regardless of gender.

“We should focus on choosing leaders who connect with people, drive positive social change, and focus on uplifting their communities

“In my journey as a relatively young woman in politics, I have observed and experienced prejudices and stereotypes.

She added: “Sometimes, when I open my mouth to speak, instead of engaging with the content, my audience will ask: “But why aren’t you married?”

“Instead of taking issue with the government and fighting the system, I’m told I should get married and have children.

“Some sexualise my appearance and, rather than focus on the substance of a press conference, comment on my face or hair.

“Then there is cyberbullying, trolling and fake news.”

Mahere said women must fight the negativity instead of feeling like victims.

“I deal with it by choosing not to be a victim,” she said.

“I am not the sort of politician who is going to sing every day about how everything is so unfair.

“I focus on what I can control, my competence and my delivery.

“It takes time to gain public trust.

“But once people see you as a leader of integrity – that you are transparent, accountable and prepared to accept criticism with a measure of humility – they start to see beyond gender.”

The constitutional lawyer said poor representation of women in leadership could lead to serious voter apathy in the future.

“This lack of representation can lead to apathy, as women fail to see themselves represented.” Mahere said

According to UN Women, having women stand as examples of public leadership and investing in the next generation of female leaders creates models in the public imagination and pushes more women to get involved.

“Women’s equal participation and leadership in political and public life are essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030,” UN Women said.

“However, data shows that women are underrepresented at all levels of decision-making worldwide, and achieving gender parity in political life is far off.”

Zimbabwe will hold harmonised elections next year and campaigns are already underway to ensure that political parties field more women candidates in the polls.