Ugly sex battle as Marange woman stands for council

Mavusa (52) told The Zimbabwean that she was being victimised by male political players, from within her party as well as outside, who were using her sex to work against her.

“My political opponents are all male and they have been using my gender as their campaigning tool. At their rallies they are asking people if they would want to have a prostitute for a councillor! It is clear that they will be talking about me as I am the only female candidate.

“Some of my opponents have even openly accused me of sleeping with various men in the village to buy votes. All this started when I declared my interest to become a councillor,” she said.

In an attempt to put a stop to this harassment, Mavusa said she approached the men concerned and warned them that she would take legal action if they continued to call her names and make false accusations that they could not validate.

“No woman deserves to be called denigrating names like prostitute, simply because they have ventured into the traditionally male field of politics. I am a mother of two and am married. But I deserve to be respected for the person I am – and not just because of my marital status,” she said.

The local chief also had problems with her assuming a leadership position and had threatened her, she said. “The chief openly told me that I must relocate to a place where men wanted to be ruled by women. Taking a leadership position in my community is taken as an invitation to challenge me, but I just want to contribute in the crafting of policies that can benefit the community,” said Mavusa.

Despite all these obstacles she is determined to continue – but lack of funding is a major constraint.

“I am working with very little resources for my campaign meetings, so moving around and mobilising people is difficult. When I hold meetings people expect to be fed as they would have travelled far and usually the meetings take the whole day,” she said.

Mavusa started her political activism in 1999 as an MDC-T supporter, driven by the desire to put the needs of women centre stage.

“For a long time our male counterparts have been talking for us. But the problem is that they don’t know our real concerns. Our priorities are different. For example, mining companies in Marange should employ women but they are not moved by the issue because they strongly believe that the place of a woman is in the kitchen,” she explained.

The reproductive health of women is a major concern in her area as there are limited health facilities. “This is affecting pregnant women as they end up not receiving antenatal care because they are not able to walk long distances. Other women are even delivering at home with the assistance of midwives and some people are making use of traditional herbs because the clinics are not easily accessible. These are critical issues I would address if I become a councillor,” she added.

The Apostolic Churches in the area are discouraging women from taking leadership positions by proclaiming prophesies that hindered women from participating in politics.

“There are several women who were eager to take up leadership positions but were told that the spirit of God was forbidding them. They were told that they would die or fall sick if they contested,” said Mavusa.

She declared that no amount of pressure would deter her from running. “I don’t care what they think because it my duty to liberate other women by proclaiming a leadership role. I even regret the time I wasted by being a supporter, never again,” she declared.