In memory of MaWinnie, the women of the MDC must find their voices

"To those who oppose us, we say 'Strike the woman, and you strike the rock'" - Winnie Mandela.

I grew up believing in equality.  That's how I was raised.  I was told that women and men were to be treated and received on a level playing field.  In our continent, this is not to be taken for granted.  I was lucky enough to have had a progressive father who encouraged me to study, and encouraged me to be as brave as my brothers.  Whatever they did, I did (sometimes I even did it better!).

I remember when he looked at me and said, Faith, there is nothing you cannot do if you put your mind to it.

This is why I feel I cannot remain silent.  It is time for the women of our party to speak up against the violence and intimidation which has plagued our higher echelons in recent months.  We all saw the attacks against Dr. Khupe perpetrated by the gangs of our new ‘leader'.  Why did they target our women? Why did they target her? Why did they purge her? Why do they ridicule her?

Well it's time we say to our brothers in our country and in our party, in the spirit of maWinnie, that when you strike a woman, you strike a rock!

The MDC was supposed to be a movement for change.  A movement for real democratic change.  Not a reactionary dance with a chauvinistic past.  Why do we have a constitution and democratic structures within our party, if this man (boy?) in the house feels that he is the only one with rights to inheritance.   

In fact, it is fairly clear that if any interim leader had the constitutional right to take over from Morgan Tsvangirai, a real leader, it was Dr. Khupe who worked her way through the party structure and was the elected as the Deputy Leader of the MDC-T.

So why was she overlooked?  And why have the women remained silent? I believe it is a cultural issue we all must contend with.

Now of course I understand that our battle politically ambitious women has been harmed by the likes of Gucci Grace.  But let us remember there are plenty other role models us young women can choose to focus on.  While I am no fan of Zanu-PF, First Lady Auxilia Mnangagwa is already showing she is a humble, hard working example for our young girls.

Then there is of course Mama Winnie - a mother to all Africans - may she Rest In Peace. She was tough, resilient and a fighter.  She was neither defined by her husband, nor her gender.  She underwent hardships and suffering, torture and abuse, only to come out stronger.    she was a voice for the suffering, a voice of a nation, and a voice of a continent.  When asked about how she dealt with her tribulations, she famously said, "There is no longer anything I can fear".

So let us heed those words.  Let's not forget that we are 52% of the population and 54.5% of the registered voters.  I'd say that makes us more than equal partners in the building of the new Zimbabwe.  We hear of an era of hope and prosperity? Yet we are cast aside in the very party we are told is to be the vessel for change and hope.

 So while an audacious young upstart believes that because of his particular chromosome makeup, he has an inalienable right to just ‘take over', I urge my sisters to stand up and be counted.

Nobel prize winner Malala Yousafzai said it so perfectly, "I raise up my voice—not so I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard...we cannot succeed when half of us are held back."

We now live in the age of the other half.  Except in Zim, we are actually 52%!