Women in politics have been urged to take ownership of local public places and speak out on issues affecting other women, particularly service delivery.
This was revealed at a Bulawayo Press Club discussion organised by the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) on Thursday at Stanley Hall.
The focus of the meeting, which was attended by community people, female councilors, and members of the media, was “Media and service delivery post elections: Proportional Representation in local authorities.”
Speaking at the meeting, local governance expert, Teddy Ncube said the battle of women to own their political spaces is a historical challenge that proportional representation quota system aims to address.
“Women were not allowed to vote or to participate in leadership positions not only in Zimbabwe but globally. Here in Zimbabwe, they started voting after the liberation war. The challenges faced by female politicians are not to be taken lightly,” Ncube said.
“The exclusion of women in decision making is historical, they were not allowed to vote and to run for public office. This historical fact informs the challenges women are facing now. The proportional representation for the women’s quota then helps to deal with inclusivity.”
Ncube said challenges affecting women are easier to talk about and deal with when there are women leaders.
“Research shows that where there are women leaders, there is less corruption, and less violence where they are involved in elections,” he claimed.
Ward 17 Pumula North councillor ikhululekile Moyo, said the proportional representation of women in council is a welcome development that will help amplify advocacy for women’s issues on service delivery.
“There are service delivery issues that affect women, which are vastly discussed in local authority offices such as water shortages. As female leaders, we must be bold in fighting for women’s issues. We have faced challenges in decision making processes because there would be fewer female voices,” she said.
Bulawayo PR councillor Nokuthula Sibanda, said women in politics need support from both the communities and the media so that the work that they do is amplified.
“We implore the media to support us, to give us positive coverage when we do community work. Most women shy away because of the negative reportage from media outlets. We also ask the communities to work well with us. The issues we advocate for are meant to help all residents,” she said.
Members of the media fraternity encouraged the female leaders to engage them when they carry out various activities in their communities and not to shy away when they approach them to speak out on developmental issues and the work they do.
