Hopes of increased women participation in 2023 elections

Thandeka Matebesi

BULAWAYO – As the nation trudges towards the much anticipated 2023 elections, there is an air of guarded  hope on the participation and fortunes of women  in the upcoming plebiscite.

Promise Ndebele, Councillor for Ward 8 in Matobo predicted more women involvement in the next elections. She also urged women  to throw caution to the wind and go toe to toe with men in the 2023 elections. Cllr Ndebele noted that while it is sometimes “…very difficult to make it to a position of influence as a woman in Zimbabwe, it is also very possible if women show  determination,” to change the status quo.

“Women should stop looking down on themselves, thinking that they are lesser competition to men. Societal norms which relegate women to the periphery of political power must be overcome.

I believe the next elections will see more women participating either as candidates or as voters. We have been working with a lot of women to help them understand the work of councillors and how important it is to vote,” said Ndebele.

In addition to the patriarchal society, she cited lack of adequate resources as another limiting and deterring factor for most women who wish to participate in the electoral process as candidates.

“I have noticed that most women are deterred by lack of resources. If you look closely you will notice that men own the means of production particularly in rural areas where they own ‘izibaya’ (livestock) whereas most women are dependent on their spouses for resources to campaign.

So, during the campaign period, men will be at an advantage compared to their female counterparts who are usually at the mercy of their husbands,” she said.

She emphasized that lack of resources among prospective women candidates ultimately reduces the chances of running a successful campaign, and as a result, most women with potential to lead are disenfranchised.

Furthermore, Ndebele bemoaned the lack of support for each other among women due to a ‘warped’ mentality that renders women unfit for public office. She added that it was unfortunate that some women tend to agree and coorporate with the patriarchy in undermining women who choose to run for political office.

Francisca Ndlovu, who contested to be Tsholotsho’s Ward 13 Councillor in 2018 but lost to a male candidate concurred with Ndebele and lamented the lack of support from fellow women. She asserted that women would achieve a lot politically if they support each other.

” As women we do not give each other enough support. If we did support each other, women would have won in most places. 

It is good that most women have now realised that having women in leadership positions is a positive development. The problem is there was minimal participation from women in the previous election”, said Ndlovu.

Member of Parliament for Bulawayo Central Nicola Watson urged political parties to make long-term assessments of their members so as to  identify leadership capabilities in women to ensure that women are ready to take up positions and leadership. She said this assessment must not only be done during the run up to elections. Watson contended that women do support other women in politics but that the problem lies in the low number of women candidates.

“I think they ( women) do support fellow women in leadership positions but it’s just that there aren’t enough women candidates.

Right now it’s hard to see how 2023 will pan out for any of us but hopefully more women will be elected outside the quota system. The proportional quota was used during its original period by the main political parties not to honour the 50/50 as described in the Constitution and I believe that it’s continuation as passed in Constitutional Amendment no. 2 will simply keep the status quo and what should be done is an amendment to the Electoral act,” she said.