The ManicaPost
Tendai Gukutikwa
Post Reporter
ZANU PF national secretary for finance, Cde Patrick Chinamasa has bemoaned the low number of women taking up political positions in Manicaland.
This comes shortly after only two women managed to come out successful in the party’s primary elections to represent the ruling party in the upcoming harmonised elections at National Assembly level.
Addressing the ruling party’s Provincial Coordinating Committee Meeting (PCC) meeting which was held in Mutare on Sunday, Cde Chinamasa said it is sad that out of the 26 candidates from Manicaland, only two are women.
He said this hinders equal representation.
Cde Angeline Gata of Musikavanhu-Mutema Constituency and Cde Chido Sanyatwe of Nyanga North Constituency are the only women in Manicaland who qualified to contest for National Assembly seats during the upcoming elections.
This translates to only seven percent representation.
Cde Chinamasa said this shows that more still needs to be done in terms of encouraging women to enter politics.
“The percentage of women who came out successful during the primary elections in Manicaland is saddening. It has showed us that we have a long way to go because women are the majority population in this country. Out of 26 candidates, only two are women. That is a very bad reflection of society as a whole.
“I hope that in future, as society we will be better placed to look at women in greater light and vote them into power. After all, they do all the work and men take all the credit. It is something that needs to be corrected in future,” he said.
Cde Chinamasa said President Mnangagwa introduced the Women’s Quota with the intentions of bridging the gap between men and women in politics.
“The attempts to address the divide between men and women in politics has begun to bear fruits but we also need women to take up these positions after being chosen by the people directly,” he said.
Other female candidates who were previously in the National Assembly but failed to qualify this time around include Chimanimani West constituency legislator, who is also Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Cde Nokuthula Matsikenyere, as well as Mutasa Central legislator, Cde Chido Madiwa.
Cde Chinamasa went on to urge fellow party members to mobilise prospective voters in their constituencies ahead of the harmonised elections.
“There is still need to strengthen voter registration in our constituencies for us to score a resounding victory in the upcoming harmonised elections. This is the time for both winning and losing candidates to unite and mobilise prospective voters to ensure that the party and President Mnangagwa win resoundingly. We still have a few weeks to mobilise voters for registration before the election day proclamation,” said Cde Chinamasa.
During the PCC meeting, both winning and losing candidates were encouraged to unite after the party’s primary elections.
Zanu PF provincial chairman, Cde Tawanda Mukodza warned the losing candidates against de-campaigning the party’s representatives.
“We will not let anyone divide the party. There should not be grudges in the party, but respect and love for the party,” he said.
He also urged the winning candidates to embrace their former rivals to garner more votes for President Mnangagwa.
