These are the questions that top human rights lawyer, Beatrice Mtetwa, constantly asks herself. For her, women are aiding the enemy and undermining the struggle to emancipate them because they are always working to pull each other down.
At the individual level, as a lawyer, Mtetwa is bitter at the manner in which other women have treated her and says her worst experiences have always been at the hands of other women.
Often labelled “stubborn” for her assertive stance in court and a robust disposition against human rights abuses, Mtetwa says she has never found comfort in female judges on the bench.
“I am expected to behave in a certain manner and I am disliked by the female judges more than the male ones. Most people look at me as not being feminine enough,” she said.
“Zimbabwe probably has more women in the legal field than any other country in the SADC region – but that does not translate to better, more sensitive judgments. Sometimes you get better gender sensitive judgments from men. But I think if the female judges really wanted to, they could improve women’s lives by taking advantage of their positions,” she said.
Women’s organisations had become so poisoned by the politics of the day that they were failing to celebrate each other’s achievements, said Mtetwa.
“At one time, I was supposed to get an honorary degree from the Women’s University in Africa, but a day before graduation, the Vice Chancellor – a woman – called me to say they were withdrawing it on political grounds. If a Women’s University succumbed to such societal pressure, what hope is there for an ordinary woman in the street?” she asked.
She is seldom invited to events for women because of her perceived links to the MDC. Her name is often dropped from guest lists because of the perceived political tag. “There are several women’s organisations that hold debates and discussion but I don’t get invited. At times I am told that my name would have been suggested by the convenors but somehow, pressure is exerted on them and I get dropped,” Mtetwa said. When Zimbabwe started suffering a political crisis in the 2000s, she started handling more politically related cases and lost her corporate clients.
“From a financial perceptive I have taken a knock because most corporates say they can never give their work to an MDC woman. I find this interesting because I have never been active in any kind of politics, it just so happens that the people who get arrested are members of the MDC,” she said.
Though most people regard Mtetwa as an outstanding lawyer because of the high profile cases she has handled she takes pride in assisting ordinary people.
“I am proud of the cases that no one ever hears about – like helping an ordinary person in the street whose story would never make it in the newspapers,” Mtetwa said.
In 1990 Mtetwa saved the Association of Women Clubs, led by Sekai Holland, from a government takeover.
“That was the time when it became quite clear that Zanu (PF) wanted to clampdown on non- governmental organizations and they passed a law that allowed them to overnight dissolve the body of any NGO and replace it with their own nominees. One day the Association of Women woke up to find that their organisation had literally been taken over by Zanu (PF) without any hearing. I felt very strongly about it and challenged the matter in the constitutional courts and won,” she said.
She has no kind word for men who regard her as a sex object rather a professional equal.
“I don’t know what it is with men that they look at women and focus on sexual perspectives rather than professional matters. But I am a very assertive person and have not allowed that to affect my work,” she said. “I am a hands-on practical person and have never been interested in furthering my studies though I had the opportunities. Even when it became fashionable to have qualifications in Human Rights, I didn’t think paper qualifications would make me a better lawyer. I think I have more to learn from the practical experience than classroom. I do a lot of family law cases and get a lot of personal satisfaction when I know that a woman has had a fair deal in a situation she never would otherwise have had,” said Mtetwa.
Biography
Mtetwa began her career in 1981 working as a Prosecutor in Swaziland and moved to Zimbabwe in 1983 to work for the government in the same capacity. She went into private practice in 1989 before founding Mtetwa and Nyambirai Legal Practitioners in 2006. She has won several awards in recognition of her defence of human rights including the Wales Human Rights Lawyer of the year in 2003, the International Press Freedom Award in 2005,the Censorship for Free Expression Law Award in 2006, the Trarieux International Human Rights Prize in 2009, the International Human Rights Award 2010 and the 2011 Inamori Ethics Prize.
Post published in: News