The ManicaPost
Tendai Gukutikwa
Post Correspondent
SHE gets up at 4am, prepares breakfast for her grandchildren and rushes to Chikanga vegetable market to buy her wares for the day.
The market opens its doors at 6am and Gogo Miriam Chirenje makes sure she arrives a few minutes before that time in order to get the freshest vegetables available.
By 8am, the elderly woman is already at her vending stall in the city centre doing what she knows best.
She started vending when she was only 13 years old and has been a vegetable vendor for 64 good years.
She turns 77 this year. To her, vending is not just a job, but a way of life.
Through vending, she fended for her children and now she is fending for her children’s children.
To vendors in Mutare’s central business district, Mbuya vaTony, as she is popularly known, is a leader.
In celebrating the International Women’s Day on Monday, The Manica Post caught up with her and a few other female leaders in different industries in the city, for a quick look into their professional journeys in the male dominated world.
On a daily basis, Mbuya vaTony falls slightly short of pocketing US$100 as she takes her vending business very seriously.
“I got here through hard work. I never rested, While I raised my children, I was also building a house in a low density suburb. I believe in entrepreneurship and you know the entrepreneurial industry is male dominated but we as women keep going forward. The industry just needs one to be strong. If you demand equal opportunities you will make it,” she said.
Mbuya vaTony represents many women who are making a living through selling different wares.
As these women celebrate Women’s Month, they also celebrate the partial relaxation of the national Covid-19 regulations.
“As vendors we were struggling to make ends meet as our customers were locked at home. I was lucky to be one of those that could sell my fruits and vegetables during the lockdown but then again I ran great losses as most of my customers were at home.
“I am glad Covid-19 is getting under control, which is conducive for our business.
“The vending business has always been female dominated and we have no qualms about that, it is our space and we are comfortable with that, we just hope that more female vendors will excel at it,” she said.
The fearless radio lady
Zimpapers’ Diamond FM is Manicaland’s only radio station and it is important to note that the Bureau Chief for the station is female.
She leads a team of reporters that feeds news into Zimpapers’ radio stations Diamond FM, Star FM, Capitalk FM and Nyaminyami FM.
The 28-year-old Ms Mercy Ngwebvu said her professional journey in the male dominated industry has not been a walk in the park.
However, if she had to choose again, she would still choose her journalism career again.
“While mostly surrounded by men, I have managed to fight for my space and here I am, proud to be a woman who is determined to continue soaring high,” said Ms Ngwebvu.
She said while the media industry is dominated by men, her male colleagues have been very supportive of her and other females in the company.
“I guess I am one of the few women who can safely say that I have had male colleagues who believe in my leadership, men who are not scared to let me shine. I am grateful to be part of an organisation that values the rights of women.
“Nothing can stop women from achieving whatever it is they wish to achieve. Whatever a man can do, a woman can do it even better,” she said.
The serenading voice
Rutendo Jackie, a local Afro fusion artiste, is also an entrepreneur who deals with bridal wear and interior décor.
She said she is glad that female musicians are standing out in the male dominated entertainment industry.
“Female musicians are standing out and dominating the music industry. This proves that women are powerful and can overcome any obstacles. I faced a lot of challenges when I was putting my band together but l pulled through.
“During the month of March, we celebrate women and their achievements as we continue to work towards an equal future.
“We still have a long way to go before we achieve gender equality but we have already made the first bold steps towards that as many women are occupying leadership positions,” she said.
This year’s International Women’s Day ran under the theme “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a Covid-19 world.”
The United Nations Women announced that the theme celebrates the tremendous efforts by women and girls around the world in shaping a more equal future and recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The theme is also aligned with the priority theme of the 65th session of the Commission on the Status of Women — “Women’s full and effective participation and decision-making in public life, as well as the elimination of violence.”
The Generation Equality campaign calls for women’s rights and their decision-making in all areas of life. It also advocates for equal pay, equal sharing of unpaid care and domestic work, and an end to all forms of violence against women and girls, as well as access to health-care services that respond to their needs.
