For Councillor Dieless Muradzikwa (ZANU-PF),the journey to the Council chambers has been a long and overdue one. Politics and fighting for the emancipation of the oppressed has always been her end goal. She was only a little girl when she was made to join the liberation struggle as a War Collaborator (chimbwido).This was the role most women and girls were assigned and through which they contributed to the armed struggle. This experience birthed a strong willed woman who didn’t let anything stand in her way, including post independence politics.
“I was a chimbwido and I’m married to a war veteran. My experiences during the war coupled with the encouragement from my husband gave me the courage to take up this position. I wanted to do my part to develop my ward as well,” she said.
Kwekwe has 18 Councillors, 14 duly elected and four elected through the quota system. From these 15 are Citizens Coalition of Change (CCC) and 3 are from ZANU-PF. Councillor Muradzikwa is the only female ZANU-PF Councillor in Kwekwe, coming in through the quota system. Councillor Muradzikwa has since been elected as the deputy health committee chairperson in the CCC dominated council.
“The major challenge I have been facing is that men don’t want women to lead. They do everything in their power to ensure that women don’t take up influential positions in politics. They are still embracing archaic practices and beliefs where women are supposedly not allowed to lead men. That’s how it’s always been, that’s why we are grateful for processes like the quota system that give women a chance and a voice,” she added.
The government of Zimbabwe adopted the quota system after Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa and cabinet approved a 30% women’s quota at the local level in the country after the first ever Women Councillors Indaba convened by Zimbabwe Local Government Authority (ZiLGA) , Women in Local Government Forum (WILGF) in partnership with Gender Links (GL) in December 2020.
Councillor Muradzikwa says that her appointment has been met with approval by people in her ward. For them having a female Councillor is good as they feel they can relate better to a woman who they view as more approachable than males.
According to United Nations Women, data from 141 countries show that women constitute more than 3 million (35.5 per cent) of elected members in local deliberative bodies. Only three countries have reached 50 per cent, and an additional 22 countries have more than 40 per cent women in local government. Additionally, women’s equal participation and leadership in political and public life are essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 but they remain underrepresented at all levels of decision-making worldwide.
“One of the things that’s very dear to my heart that I hope to deal with in my community is the issue of drug abuse. Youths in my area are known for abusing numerous substances and for being rowdy. That is the major issue I hope through my appointment I can help eradicate. I want to set up programs where youth can be assisted to leave drugs and concentrate on other income generating programs, “ she said.
Her desire is to continue to amplify the voice and needs of orphans and widows so they get opportunities to thrive. One of the ways she does this is by ensuring that only deserving children are assisted in programs like BEAM. She also wants to make sure that women are prioritised when it comes to getting stands from council. She makes it a point to encourage her ward to maintain cleanliness in her community. To make sure that trash is disposed of properly to prevent outbreak of diseases.
“Through hard work and prayer we can achieve anything.” That is her motto.
