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Wenyika — Gava (28) is representing Zanu-PF, Harare province under the women’s proportional representation quota. She holds an Honours Degree in Media and Society Studies from the Midlands State University in Gweru.

She is confident of making it to Parliament.
“I am focused in what I do and am sure of success. Come August I will join other brave women into Parliament and fight for our cause. August 2013 will usher a breath of fresh air in the House of Assembly. I am a fighter and will see to it that my dreams and the dreams of fellow young women like me are realized,” she said.
Cde Wenyika-Gava is an entrepreneur.

She is no stranger to elections as she cut her teeth as the MSU Student Representative Council president in 2004, a first for a woman at the institution. She has never looked back.

“Then it was student politics but it has nurtured me into what I am today. Student activism shaped my character and that is when I first joined the party of my choice, Zanu-PF. That was then in 2007 and back then I was not very active in national politics though I was a member of the Zanu-PF Midlands province,” she said.

On completion of her degree at MSU, she relocated to Harare and joined the Zanu-PF Harare province. She easily transformed herself from student activism to national politics. The province was to see her worth and determination that in 2009 she was elected deputy secretary for education for the province.

“This is the position that I still hold now. I think it was my passion to raise the status of women, youths and the marginalized that kept me going. I decided to enter the election to bring into Parliament a new dimension. I realised that demographically young women are in the majority yet they are marginalised both in politics and economics hence my wish to be in Parliament and help improve the life of our women.  “I thought the energies that we have as youths can be used to develop the country. I want to thank President Mugabe and the party for showing confidence in me. I thank the people for sending us forward to represent them in this election. We shall not fail you,” she said.

Cde Wenyika-Gava has been a youth activist of note and for her extraordinary work in social activism for African youth; Cde Wenyika-Gava was named one of the 2012 JCI Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World (JCI TOYP) recipient in the category of political, legal and/or governmental affairs.

She showed her spirit of active citizenship everyday through her advocacy work in Zimbabwe and across Africa. At one time Wenyika- Gava sat on the board of the Zimbabwe Youth Council and later as deputy president of Pan African Youth Federation where she represented Zimbabwe with distinction.

Cde Wenyika-Gava is passionate about the youth that she was one of the panelists at the African Union Golden Jubilee Celebrations in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where she sparred with Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni on the role of youths in the politics of the continent.

Last year, Wenyika-Gava married Zanu-PF youth leader Cde Mike Gava at a colourful wedding in Harare. They have no child. The wedding was attended by firebrand South African youth leader Cde Julius Malema.

If elected into Parliament the two will be one of the few couples that have graced the August House in Zimbabwe. Others are Cde Kembo Mohadi and Cde Tambudzani, and Cde Mutinhiri and Ms Tracy Mutinhiri among others.

But how does the prospect of being in the same Parliament with her husband make her feel?
Cde Wenyika-Gava said: “I have no problems with that. I going there to represent my constituency and that is my focus. I am used to criticism but that has never swayed me.”

Cde Wenyika-Gava appealed for unity in the party as it goes into the watershed elections. The elections will usher in a new government to lead the country over the next five years.