News / National
Mugabe agrees on 3 vice presidents
28 Jul 2017 at 06:18hrs | Views
PRESIDENT Mugabe has urged the Zanu-PF Women's League to consider amendments to the party's constitution to create a slot for a third Vice President post that will be reserved for women.
President Mugabe said this while officiating at the Women's League National Assembly meeting at the party's headquarters in Harare.
His remarks followed concerns raised by the party's Secretary for Women's Affairs Dr Grace Mugabe that the party should revert to its resolutions that one
Vice President's position be reserved for women.
President Mugabe acknowledged the concerns raised by women, adding that the agreed position had been scrapped following the sacking of former Vice
President Joice Mujuru and her cabal.
"I want to accept that we made a mistake because we had agreed that one of the three top positions in Government must go to a woman. It started during Mai Mujuru's period and that's where we went wrong by putting a man in that position. I think it was Mnangagwa. We can correct that either directly in the constitution at Congress or another way is to accept that change why don't we look at the constitution. A constitution is made to serve the people not the people to serve a constitution," President Mugabe said.
He then urged the women to consider the creation of another position for the vice presidency for discussion during the next party's Congress in 2019.
"We can look at other ways of doing it but I would want you to consider that perhaps we leave that position as it is or if you insist we will change it. But I was thinking that other countries have more than two. Why can't we have three deputies and correct this position that way.
"Think about it. Two choices, one to revert to our position of two VPs and one being a lady but another of adding another position of a VP and we have three VPs and one woman. Think of those mere suggestions when we go to Congress as you like but think it out and we discuss it at Congress but certainly we have offended you and I must apologise for that," he added.
Mugabe urged women to put their concerns in writing especially on equal representation of men and women in positions of authority and forward them to the leadership of the party.
President Mugabe also commended women for their work in fending for families and in society in general.
"We think of you as individuals in society who are mothers of our children. We think of you in society as participants in the tasks of the family.
"You lead in some instances the family as you toil hard for the children, children to have food, for the children to go to school and we think of you finally as our partner, our cultural partners and I want to believe it's all cultures that are like us.
"We must have women as wives and mothers of our children and without you there would be no husbands, there would be no children," the President said.
President Mugabe said this while officiating at the Women's League National Assembly meeting at the party's headquarters in Harare.
His remarks followed concerns raised by the party's Secretary for Women's Affairs Dr Grace Mugabe that the party should revert to its resolutions that one
Vice President's position be reserved for women.
President Mugabe acknowledged the concerns raised by women, adding that the agreed position had been scrapped following the sacking of former Vice
President Joice Mujuru and her cabal.
"I want to accept that we made a mistake because we had agreed that one of the three top positions in Government must go to a woman. It started during Mai Mujuru's period and that's where we went wrong by putting a man in that position. I think it was Mnangagwa. We can correct that either directly in the constitution at Congress or another way is to accept that change why don't we look at the constitution. A constitution is made to serve the people not the people to serve a constitution," President Mugabe said.
He then urged the women to consider the creation of another position for the vice presidency for discussion during the next party's Congress in 2019.
"We can look at other ways of doing it but I would want you to consider that perhaps we leave that position as it is or if you insist we will change it. But I was thinking that other countries have more than two. Why can't we have three deputies and correct this position that way.
"Think about it. Two choices, one to revert to our position of two VPs and one being a lady but another of adding another position of a VP and we have three VPs and one woman. Think of those mere suggestions when we go to Congress as you like but think it out and we discuss it at Congress but certainly we have offended you and I must apologise for that," he added.
Mugabe urged women to put their concerns in writing especially on equal representation of men and women in positions of authority and forward them to the leadership of the party.
President Mugabe also commended women for their work in fending for families and in society in general.
"We think of you as individuals in society who are mothers of our children. We think of you in society as participants in the tasks of the family.
"You lead in some instances the family as you toil hard for the children, children to have food, for the children to go to school and we think of you finally as our partner, our cultural partners and I want to believe it's all cultures that are like us.
"We must have women as wives and mothers of our children and without you there would be no husbands, there would be no children," the President said.
Source - zimpapers
