Speaking at a knowledge brief for journalists in the capital, Women's Coalition of Zimbabwe Chairperson, Virginia Muwanigwa, said most of the rights women advocated for were enshrined in the draft that could become the new constitution if passed in a referendum to be held soon.
"I must say 75% of the issues were captured and, as a woman, I am happy.
However, there is still room for improvement and we are currently working on our position paper which we are going to hand over to Copac (the parliamentary constitution making body)," she said.
Msasa Project Director, Netty Msanhu, a lawyer by profession, pointed out that the language used in the draft was vague but conceded that the document was better than the current constitution that has been amended 19 times.
"We have areas where we think gender issues were not tackled correctly. For example, on the issue of the death penalty, as women, we wanted it to be abolished altogether. Exempting women from the death penalty is a sign of gender imbalance," she said.
The draft, while providing that capital punishment can be effected in aggravated cases, says women should be spared.
Msanhu added that issue such as access to equal opportunities, maternity leave and other basic gender rights had been treated fairly in the draft.
However, she expressed fear that some women would be swayed by politicians to reject the draft constitution which she described as the 'best thing that has happened to Zimbabwe since independence in 1980'.
Sandra Mazunga, National Coordinator of Women in Politics Support Network, expressed satisfaction at the manner the issues of citizenship and education had been handled in the draft.
"Besides it being a politically negotiated process, the draft constitution is a good start,'' she added.
Her organisation is also writing a position paper regarding the draft, but acknowledges that it would support it.
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“On the issue of the death penalty, as women, we wanted it abolished altogether,” said Msasa Project Director, Netty Msanhu, a lawyer by profession. What is she wittering about?!
No one has been hanged in Zimbabwe for decades, reportedly because no one has stepped forward to take up the post of hangman, officially at least. The regime has other gruesome ways of killing prisoners – deny prisoners their basic needs and starve them to death. A few months ago Deputy Prime Minister Khupe was appealing for sanitary towels for women prisoners. Conditions in Zimbabwe prisons are so terrible a SA reporter described them as a “hell-holeâ€!
What is there in the new constitution these women have given their 75% approval to ensure women in our prisons will be treated like human beings and not like diseased stray dogs? Nothing!
Women as are as much victims of Zimbabwe’s scourge of the political violence as the rest of us. Hundreds of thousands of women were raped during the sham 2008 presidential run-off elections alone and of the over 25 000 Zimbabweans murdered by this Mugabe dictatorship at least a third are probably women. What is there in the new constitution to ensure these acts of barbarism will stop? Again, nothing!
Sandra Mazunga, National Coordinator of Women in Politics Support Network expressed her satisfaction at the manner the issues of citizenship and education had been handled in the draft. Zimbabwe’s education system has but collapsed because of the chronic under funding. The Minister of Education, Senator Coltart has complained about how the country was spending three times as much money on overseas trips for a handful of political leaders than on schools. But, of course, no one was listening. Only Ms Mazunga can explain how – by reading between the lines because it is not there – the new constitution will stop this criminal waste of resources!
“Besides it being a politically negotiated process, the draft constitution is a good start,” finished Ms Mazunga. A good start to what?
MDC had no right to an inch of the people’s basic human rights and freedoms including the right to free elections free of violence and the right to life. Just as individuals like Ms Mazunga, purporting to represent women when they ignore the real issues affecting 99% women on the coal face of this repressive regime, to ask Zimbabweans to accept a constitution designed to perpetuate the dictatorship as “a good start!â€
Zimbabwe’s economic melt down has affected every sector of the economy except one, the civil society. And, thanks to the generous funding, NGOs salaries and perks are very generous and hence have attracted individuals who care more about their perks than the cause(s) the Organisation is supposed to stand for. One has to ask; who these Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe truly represents?