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Ruth Butaumocho
“People who soar are those who refuse to sit back, sigh and wish things would change. They neither complain of their lot nor passively dream of some distant ship coming in. Rather, they visualise in their minds that they are not quitters; they will not allow life’s circumstances to push them down and hold them under.”

The above quotation from Charles Swindoll one of the renowned international preachers always reminds me of the resilience women often display when faced with challenges and adversities in their different circumstances.

The resilience that women often exhibit are not geographically defined as many would want to believe, but is an inherent characteristic that God blessed womankind with.

It is for that reason that women are able to nurture and care for their families even in the most difficult circumstances.
In war torn countries, we often see images of women dodging bullets with babies strapped on their backs, walking several kilometres in search of water or food or better still care and refuse to give up on dying siblings even if it is clear that there is no life left within the hapless body.

But naturally I often want to single out the Zimbabwean women, whose resilience has been my source of strengthen and inspiration over the years, when I am faced with difficult situations and really feel I need to give up. The just ended harmonised elections, where Zanu-PF romped to victory with an over 73 percent win, trouncing other political parties like MDC-T and MDC, clearly display’s women’s unmatched resilience, and their determination to change their circumstances, no matter how difficult it may seem.

Zimbabwean women went out in their numbers to vote, but alas, little did they know that only a few female candidates would make it in the National Assembly, making it practically impossible for them to achieve the 50-50 gender representation in the Upper House where they are one seat short of parity.

Yes they went all out to vote for their preferred candidates but that process did little to improve their representation by other women in National Assembly, since the majority of seats went to men.

Effectively women will only have 85 seats out of the 270 in the National Assembly, a figure that falls short of the desired 50-50 gender representation by 2015 set by the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. But probably women’s greatest undoing was their respective political parties which fielded fewer women as candidates — and only 25 women were elected in the contested National Assembly race.

Eighteen of these women who won the elections were from Zanu-PF while the remaining seven were from MDC-T, a development though unfortunate, is telling of how women continue to struggle to get recognition, not only within their homes, but even in the economic and political arena.

Although there has been a slight improvement for the Eighth Parliament due to affirmative action which will characterise the first 10 years of the new Constitution that provides for six women per province chosen on the PR system, that is a pyrrhic victory,  and falls short of women’s political expectations.

If any thing that decision continues to give men a competitive edge against women, who after Parliament they can go back and engage members of their constituencies, while women simply go back to their kitchens.

Without the backing of constituencies, women would not be able to do much in strengthen their political careers, and come election time- when the affirmative period is over- men will naturally perform better because they were able to grow and improve their brands, with the blessings of their constituencies.

Effectively women will continue to be minnows in the game, as attested by the recent elections results, where only a few women managed to be voted into power while the rest, failed to make it into the first round of  the primary elections.

The women would however, take solace in Senate as they fell short of one Senator, to achieve yet another 50-50 representation in the Upper House, after they secured 39 out of 80 seats, the total number that constitute Senators.

Sad, the development may be, this is the time that women should now regroup and continue to nurture other women for political leadership, in preparation of 2018 elections. The women would need to stand up, be counted while exhibiting the same resilience they showed when the chips were down between 2007 and 2009.

I am immediately inspired by the story of thousands of women who toiled for their families and put food on the table at the height of the economic crisis that hit the country in 2007 and years that were to follow. While the majority of women became cross border traders going to neighbouring countries to sell and buy different wares, others took up different menial jobs and in some instances took up jobs as maids in the region so that they could provide for their families.

During that time, most women were juggling several responsibilities of being a wife, mother, employee, counsellor, family caregiver and the breadwinner. Despite enormous tasks they had, they still managed to smile, look forward to a new day and had hope for the future, although it all appeared gloom and doom.

While they may have been a few tragic endings to women’s social, political and economic resilience, I can proudly attest that they worked hard and sustained many homes, even up to this day.

They may not have reached the galaxy, in the just ended harmonised elections, but the majority followed their dreams and worked hard towards turning them into realities, something that many women fail to do, even though they may well be within reach of the stars.

Like the Biblical Paul, who openly declared that “ I have fought the good war and I have finished the race and I have kept the faith”, the same can be said about millions of Zimbabwean women, who went out to vote for the leaders of their choice-within the adversities of low representation.

They played their part and very well for that matter
If anything, the onus now lies on women who were voted into the National Assembly and 60 others, who got seats reserved for women — as provided for by the new Constitution — to measure up to the task and become diligent ambassadors, who will represent other women well.

They know and are familiar with women’s trials and tribulations and are therefore better placed to articulate these issues better than their male colleagues.