Women outraged by Mugabe’s jibe

In the build-up to last week’s congress, Mugabe told war veterans he was shocked that Mujuru, “a woman for that matter,” wanted to take over from him. He implied that because the VP was woman, she could not withstand the pressures involved in leading a nation and “may end up allowing whites to come back so that they re-colonise us.”

It was the second time that Mugabe made remarks to the effect that a woman could rule Zimbabwe. In the 90s he lambasted then presidential aspirant Margaret Dongo, saying he could not allow the country to have a “petticoat government.”

“Mugabe himself boasts of being a Pan-Africanist. So let me remind him of the African saying that says ‘Musha Mukadzi’, meaning that it is the mother who holds the fortress of every homestead.

“The problem with Mugabe is that he cannot understand such realities because he has a misguided wife in Grace who is a gold digger and cannot stand by him so that she gives progressive advice as we would expect in a marriage. When Mugabe was married to Sally, it was better because she was a woman of substance,” said Violet Mutosva, 42.

A graduate from the Kingdom Life pastoral college, Pastor Privilege Mutanga, 28, gave a biblical reference to demonstrate that women have leadership qualities.

“In the bible, God allowed Dorcas to lead the Israelites as a judge. So it shows that God acknowledges female leaders. As a pastor, I feel Mugabe erred in his statements. God gives wisdom and guidance to any leader whether male or female. Mugabe should not be intolerant because after all true leadership is Divine,” she said.

“What about Joice Banda? Did she not lead Zambia? We are angry about Mugabe’s statements against women. It’s a sign he wants to oppress us,” queried Petronella Ntabambi, a cross-border trader.

Judith Khumalo, 72, who specialise in poultry projects, said: “He (Mugabe) insulted women in general by reducing the esteem that we should be viewed in. It is like biting the finger that feeds you. Mugabe himself came from a woman so can someone who gave you life fail to lead you? It does not make sense.”

A fruit and vegetable vendor based at Mkoba 10 shopping centre, Gogo Ndlovu, pointed out that people must move from the doctrines of patriarchy and realise that a woman, even if uneducated but endowed with natural wisdom, can rise up and become the next president of Zimbabwe. She questioned why Mugabe left VP Mujuru as acting president several times and came back to see smooth flow of events in the country if he doubted that a woman cannot be a leader.

“The president showed extreme disrespect for women. A woman can actually do better than his ruinous rule that is making all of suffer today. The remarks were childish. Instead of thinking on the way forward concerning the bad economy, the president chose to say what satisfies his ego,” said Talent Moyo, 23, a self-employed youth in the city.

Kudzayi Bhera, echoed the same sentiments saying, “Women should not be despised. It’s unfair. What a man can do, a woman may perform even better – otherwise the talk about gender-equality that the president’s government is trying to champion would become senseless.”

Sesulelo Khumalo, 32, wife to a city council employee, indicated that the reason why the president is unconvinced that a woman can lead the nation is because they have never done so.

“A woman cannot lead the country only when she has not been allowed to do so. If Mugabe himself passes on the baton to a woman, the country will be turned around. Women can do it,” she said.

A social science student at Africa University, Martha Hadebe, said she yeaned to see Zimbabwe’s first woman president who would change perspectives of people like Mugabe.

A female member of the Air Force of Zimbabwe, who refused to be named, emphasised that as long as there have not been a woman president at either political party or government level, male pessimists would not “stop to dream about their superiority.”