News / Local
There are Only six female chiefs in Zimbabwe
10 Mar 2012 at 22:31hrs | Views
ZIMBABWE has a total of six female chiefs dotted around the country but the number can increase to see women being the majority of chiefs, the President of the Zimbabwe Council of Chiefs (ZCC) has said.
Chief Fortune Charumbira said this on Friday last week after the closing of the Annual Chiefs Conference which was held in Bulawayo.
"Zimbabwe has six female chiefs only and we hope in years to come they will increase and possibly be a majority one day," said Chief Charumbira.
He said 10 years ago Zimbabwe had no female chiefs but the number had now gone up to six and can increase if women are afforded the chance to also be in power.
An official at the chiefs' conference said women wanted to be in power but were not being afforded the chance.
"Vakadzi vanoda humambo but havasi kupiwa mukana, (Women want chieftaincy but they are not being afforded the chance)," he said.
He said if given the chancewomen could equally do the job.
This was the first ever conference where chiefs brought their wives. Wife to Chief Gobo of Silobela said she was elated when she heard that she could accompany the chief to the conference.
"I was very happy when I heard that we were going to come to the conference. At least we have our husbands with us," she said.
She said some chiefs had a tendency of extending days that they spent when they came to the big cities for conferences to enjoy city life.
Chief Charumbira bemoaned the decay of cultural values in the city as compared to rural areas.
"There is moral decay in the city because there is a lot of individualism among the people and not communism that exists in the rural areas," he said.
He said rural folk did things together and children had upright morals unlike in the city where he said people are just obsessed with their own survival and nothing more.
Chief Charumbira said there was more of the capitalist mentality and loose moral values than anything else in the city.
The president of the chief's council said his chiefs were upbeat with issues of HIV and Aids and actually chair workshops in their areas.
"Chiefs are upbeat with issues of HIV and Aids. They chair workshops and sit in some committees," he said.
He said the core values of chiefs were against promiscuity and immorality and the chiefs were strong on preaching about the issues.
During the conference the chiefs aired their grievances and part of their demands included new cars, farms, guns for personal security, diplomatic passports and seats in the boards of companies in their localities to ensure the firms invested in local communities.
Chief Fortune Charumbira said this on Friday last week after the closing of the Annual Chiefs Conference which was held in Bulawayo.
"Zimbabwe has six female chiefs only and we hope in years to come they will increase and possibly be a majority one day," said Chief Charumbira.
He said 10 years ago Zimbabwe had no female chiefs but the number had now gone up to six and can increase if women are afforded the chance to also be in power.
An official at the chiefs' conference said women wanted to be in power but were not being afforded the chance.
"Vakadzi vanoda humambo but havasi kupiwa mukana, (Women want chieftaincy but they are not being afforded the chance)," he said.
He said if given the chancewomen could equally do the job.
This was the first ever conference where chiefs brought their wives. Wife to Chief Gobo of Silobela said she was elated when she heard that she could accompany the chief to the conference.
"I was very happy when I heard that we were going to come to the conference. At least we have our husbands with us," she said.
She said some chiefs had a tendency of extending days that they spent when they came to the big cities for conferences to enjoy city life.
Chief Charumbira bemoaned the decay of cultural values in the city as compared to rural areas.
"There is moral decay in the city because there is a lot of individualism among the people and not communism that exists in the rural areas," he said.
He said rural folk did things together and children had upright morals unlike in the city where he said people are just obsessed with their own survival and nothing more.
Chief Charumbira said there was more of the capitalist mentality and loose moral values than anything else in the city.
The president of the chief's council said his chiefs were upbeat with issues of HIV and Aids and actually chair workshops in their areas.
"Chiefs are upbeat with issues of HIV and Aids. They chair workshops and sit in some committees," he said.
He said the core values of chiefs were against promiscuity and immorality and the chiefs were strong on preaching about the issues.
During the conference the chiefs aired their grievances and part of their demands included new cars, farms, guns for personal security, diplomatic passports and seats in the boards of companies in their localities to ensure the firms invested in local communities.
Source - SN
