Women and Children not in their equation

"Ngixoleleni ngemibuzo yami sengoba bengingekho" said Mzwakhe Mbuli the South African poet. "Please forgive me about asking many questions because I am not at home." It is now the dirty linen that is informing us about the ruling party Zanu PF in Zimbabwe. We now know that Mai Mujuru did not shoot down the helicopter she purported to have shot down during the liberation struggle. We know too that Didymus Mutasa was at the periphery of the liberation struggle it was fear of losing his life in the bombings. It means the people of Zimbabwe have been made to worship falsehood for 34 years.

But these are the people at the higher echelons of Zanu ruling elite. We are made to love and adore their false claims that they shot down military helicopters in the battlefields. I was not in the struggle directly myself but my parents; my dear mother and my step father Zephaniah Sihwa fought this liberation war to the bitter end. At independence in 1980 their contributions were sidelined; both died unrecognised by the powers that may be; Zanu PF.

The Didymus Mutasas are shouting semi-literate political slogans on top of the mountains; now claiming to have fought the war far better than the Zipra Generals: Dumiso Dabengwa; Nikita Mangena and Lookout Masuku put together; hence He does not deserve the farm he bought for himself; it must be invaded; taken away from him. Didymus Mutasa is talking gamatox; the bio-chemical weapon against insects and now against people; he has dehumanised him calling him a weevil. He will finish them up weevils with gamatox spray! This bio-chemical weapon is interchangeable; looks like it can be used to destroy insects and humans too depending on circumstances. That is Zanu PF language of communication in 2014! ~It remains to be seen if Jonathan Moyo and others will survives this poisonous spray!

Press fast forward: lets talk about the conference regarding the women's league in Zanu PF that ended this weekend on the 17th of August 2014; we heard Hon. Oppah Muchinguri telling them all about a woman who burnt her husband to death in the home. The reciprocation of it; we were told by Hon. VP Mujuru that "some of them" are sell-outs. Please forgive me for asking many questions because I was not there. Where do I place myself as a simple citizen in this entire mambo jumbo that took place at the Zanu women's conference in Harare; Zimbabwe? Where my needs addressed at this women's conference? Did they talk about the women in my area Mathebeleland North; precisely; Lupane; their sufferings; their dire straits? Does Hon. Oppah Muchinguri know that in Mathebeleland North there are young girls who forfeit school because they do not have simple pads to wear when they are on monthly periods? Was she told that these girls use cow dung as pads when they are on a monthly period? Did VP Mujuru read in the newspaper about a 22 year old young woman in Mathebeleland North who beheaded her child because she was desperate; desperate to make ends meet! She has been taken to psychiatric clinic because she has been deemed insane. Did VP Mujuru read about the Shangani growth point where young girls as old as 11 years are in the streets making a living out of prostitution? Did they talk about the growing number of girl drop-outs from schools because the system now prefers boys for education than girls?

Did they talk about the shocking number of underage girls who are sent to organised marriages in Zimbabwe alone? Did they read the news and see a video shot of  the young woman who was punished Gugurahundi style; beaten several times with a big stick by the Zimbabwean Police in Mathebeleland North and it was filmed and sent to Bulawayo24. What about the non clinical abortions that have hit headlines; resulting in young women's deaths? There is no clean water and very poor sanitation in most towns of Zimbabwe and it the women who bare the brunt of collecting "clean" water in rivers and wells? Open sewages flowing in the middle of townships and children playing in the sewage mud! That is happening in Zimbabwe in the new Millennium 2014. Is Hon Muchinguri aware of the growing number of street children in all towns of Zimbabwe?

What about the growing number of beggars in the streets; who cares about them? Is Mai Mujuru aware of the rape cases in Zimbabwe; every 90 minutes a woman is raped; so the news media says and is Hon Muchinguri aware of the failing judiciary system that is disparaging in giving out rape sentences from 5 years to 45 years? Did she stop to ask; where is justice there?  These two very powerful women in the Zanu PF party are mothers! Ngixoleleni ngemibuzo yami sengoba bengingekho.  Why is there no debate about the sporadic formations and growing number of cynical churches and prophets of doom; criminal havens where women and girl-children are sexually exploited and raped. Why is there no national debate about illicit ngangas that ill-advise HIV/AIDS infected men to sleep with young virgins to cure themselves of the disease and criminalize them as such? My next question is; why was the getting of positions in the party; party elections so important in this conference openly disregarding the national issues about women and girl-children? If they are aware of these painful issues regarding women and girl-children; why did they not take centre-stage; preference than joggling for pure taste of power? We all know that they are rich; very rich. The magnitude of their riches is in the public domain. It's the power they now want and not the service to the people.

Have these two women reneged serving the nation or are they serving themselves; their ego? We are never sure about their job descriptions in the party and government but their positions oh yes.  If I was in your shoes I would be ashamed of myself; ashamed about this open and wholly unconcealed greed on your faces. I can endlessly criticize you until cows come home. You have failed the women and girl-children since independence of 1980. Now that we know about your shaky war credentials; thanks to the dirty linen that told us all; it is obvious you fought this war to enrich yourselves and now you are rich the next thing is power. Mai Mujuru would like to be the next President of Zimbabwe. What agenda for women and girl-children does she have at place that will make all women want to vote for her to be the first woman President of the Democratic Republic of Zimbabwe? Or does she think she will nikuv the elections again as it has happened several times; in 2013; 2008; 2002?

Zimbabweans should now embrace themselves for a revolution; a second revolution. There is no change of government with the ballot box; lets forget this once and for all. For the past 15 years MDC has tried to use the ballot box and we all know the results. It will be the same thing again in 2018. This government is clueless; they are playing with millions of lives of innocent Zimbabwean people. Please Mai Mujuru and Hon. Oppah Muchinguri do not underestimate the intelligence of women and girl-children of Zimbabwe. While I criticize you; may I ask you to give attention to the following issues that regard the empowerment of women and girl-children! This is what we expected you to talk about at the last week's conference on Zanu PF women Mai Mujuru and Hon Oppah Muchinguri:

Rights and freedoms for all women and girl children of Zimbabwe
Honor and respect the rights of children. Stand up for the rights and liberties of women. Eradicate all forms of violence against and exploitation of, women and girls. End the exploitation of domestic servants. Fight rape crimes against women and girl children! Make women and girls aware that health and education are basic human rights. Campaign against the sexual abuse of children and babies; sex offenders who pass on the disease HIV/AIDS should be treated as criminals. Their crimes are crimes against humanity! Develop programs to combat malaria, diarrhea and other water-borne diseases. Clean water and sanitation in rural and urban areas is needed. Promote supplementary feeding programs for children in urban and rural schools to alleviate hunger. Develop the concept of compulsory lavatories in rural areas to improve hygiene, thus reducing water-borne diseases; the media talks about one million toilets missing in urban and rural areas of Zimbabwe. Provide compulsory and free primary and secondary education for all children of Zimbabwe. Empower women by building communities to improve their lives and ensure food securities in the country. Assist physically challenged women who are in the streets of Zimbabwean towns.

These issues should have dominated the conference for women from a ruling party and not joggling party positions Hon Muchinguri and Mai Mujuru. Because women and girl-children are not in your equation we ask you to do the honorable thing; to pack and leave the political stage altogether; you have failed.  "Ngixoleleni ngemibuzo yami sengoba bengingekho" Very soon it will be toi toi time in the street of all towns of Zimbabwe. It is not a threat but a reality.  We are reaching a boiling point as a nation!

Nomazulu Thata political activist and Chief Representative; Zimbabweans United for Democracy (ZUNDE) in Germany.  She wrote this article on her personal capacity; the views she airs are purely hers and not of the party position. You may visit ZUNDE at www.zunde.org  or infor@zunde.org