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| Joyce Mhungu |
Clayton Shereni
The
Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ) has called upon all Zimbabwean women to
lobby fellow women with leadership qualities and aiming to take political
positions rather than despise each other during election periods where women
usually lose to their male counterparts.
These
sentiments were shared during an online meeting held recently where women
activists, gender champions, journalists and members of the civic society had
gender-focused discussions on the upcoming elections scheduled for 2023.
Speaking
at the meeting, WCoZ Masvingo Chapter chairperson Joyce Mhungu said it was time
to identify potential women who could occupy more top leadership positions in
the country’s political arena.
“We
will have a database of women with leadership qualities from the grassroots up
to the national level. Let’s support each other as women and show unison ahead
of the 2023 elections. For a long time, women have been despised but this time
around we will lobby for more women to take leadership and governance
positions,” said Mhungu.
Sharing
her sentiments during the meeting, WCoZ Masvingo chapter coordinator Belinda
Mwale said no effort must be spared in the quest to boost women’s
representation in top government positions.
“As
an organization which fights for women’s rights, we are working to conscientize
women on the importance of supporting their own in leadership contests. If we
have women there at the top, we would be in a better position to address our
problems due to the fairer gender representation in government,” said Mwale.
The
meeting also sought to applaud women who have taken it upon themselves to break
barriers by standing up and voicing their opinions on political and
socio-economic issues.
The
WCoZ leadership also revealed plans to embark on a leadership skills training
in rural and urban areas across Masvingo.
