Women push for more leadership positions

Zimbabwean women are urging greater representation in the next parliament ahead of the country's sixth general election, to be held in March next year. Thenjiwe Lesabe, secretary of the ruling ZANU-PF party Women's League, said at the weekend that women would push for a 50 percent quota in parliament and other ZANU-PF organs at the party's congress in December. Both the Southern African Development Community and the African Union recently resolved to increase the number of women holding leadership positions in member countries as a way of further empowering them. "Our party constitution provides for at least 30 percent women representatives, but we would want to see that quota increased to 50 percent," Lesabe told IRIN. She said although Zimbabwe had been a signatory to these conventions, little had been done to put the provisions into practice or fulfil the obligations. Neither the ruling ZANU-PF nor the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) had fielded women candidates in the 15 by-elections held since the last general election four years ago. The opposition MDC has blamed the wave of violence that characterised pre-poll campaigning for the by-elections as the prime reason for not fielding female candidates, saying although its party constitution has such a quota, most of its female members had found the level of violence accompanying the polls unacceptable. "We are organising field trips and constituency exchange visits in rural areas in those constituencies held by women, urging women to support those women aspiring to stand as candidates for next year's election," said Fanny Chirisa, a field officer with the Women in Parliament Support Unit. Five women hold ministerial posts in the current cabinet: there are two ministers, a deputy minister and two junior ministers in the President's Office. "Even though the party leadership acknowledges the critical role women play in party campaigns, the number of women in leadership positions in government has gradually decreased over the years," said Shuvai Mahofa, deputy minister for youth, gender and employment creation.