Gwanda’s only female councillor bares her soul

Lumbidzani Dima

GWANDA- Having joined politics at an early age, Gwanda councillor Nappy Machuya Moyo never dreamt of holding a lofty leadership position. However, the low uptake of influential positions by women in society challenged her to dream big and rise through the ranks.

Cllr Moyo is the only female councillor amongst her nine male counterparts in Gwanda town where  ward 2 is her jurisdiction.

Cllr Moyo was born and bred in a rural setup in Gwanda South. She did her primary schooling at Makokwa primary, and proceeded to Kafusi secondary school up to 1995.

“When I joined politics, I never thought I would end up holding any position during my lifetime. My rural background was actually my biggest motivation to join politics with the aim of giving a hand to bring about change in our country. I wanted to create change that would cause children to dream of their future and possibilities here in Zimbabwe, in contrast to what has always been happening with people  getting educated with the sole aim of leaving the country for greener pastures,’ she said.

She said the pain of seeing men take up all the leadership positions did not sit well with her.

“In 2008, as a student of politics, I came to the realisation that the only political leaders in Gwanda were men. The discovery was a source of bother for me because there was no one to stand in the gap and speak for women. I concluded that men were not entirely to blame for the status quo. The women themselves were afraid and shied away from leadership positions,” said cllr Moyo.

“Initially, I did not want to be a councillor, but I hoped that some few could take up positions and represent us as women. Unfortunately all the women who had contested did not win because they did not have the wherewithal to campaign,” Cllr Moyo said.

She said the main reason behind her throwing her hat into the fray for a council seat  in 2018 was to her conviction to represent women in Gwanda. She wanted to be their mouth piece so that they could access any kind of help they needed.

In the history of Gwanda urban, there had  only been one female councilor as well as a deputy mayor before Cllr Moyo.

She said balancing family duties and work is not a problem as she has the full support from everyone around her. Working with men only is not a challenge for her but her wish is to have other women joining her as councillors.

“It feels good to be in the position I am in, but it is marred by being alone. I need other woman to join hands with me in advocating and fighting for women issues. If only there were three or four of us sharing ideas and proposing projects then my job would have been easier. Working with men, nine of them is not a real challenge but we need more women. It’s not that they are not doing well, but a woman knows better when it comes to challenges faced by women,” said cllr Moyo.

She said the first step she took when she became a councillor was to come up with a health club that sometimes goes around cleaning up the town. The members of the club make soaps and are involved in other projects as well.

“I  started a drainage unblocking and cleaning initiative, which saw a group of nine women and three men taking up the job. I advocated for the fixation of nonfunctional boreholes. Currently, I’m working on making sure that the streets of Gwanda get some street lights to reduce criminal activities taking place under the cover of darkness. I’m also working on having a police base in town where everyone has easy access,” said cllr Moyo.

She urged women not to be intimidated by the prospect of joining politics or even taking up any leadership positions.

“Women please stand up, there can never be gender equality as long as women are failing to fight for positions. I’m not saying they should all join politics because I know most are uncomfortable with it but if any position arises let them take the opportunities. It’s high time we have the majority of CEOs, great doctors, and heads of departments who are women. Women know what children need, they also know what men need. This country cannot be built by men, but it can be built by women with the support of men,” said cllr Moyo.

The 43-year-old leader who strongly believes in women empowerment joined politics in 1999 under the Movement for Democratic Change party. She is now serving as a Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) councillor.