Opinion / Columnist
The end for Chamisa and women
18 May 2018 at 05:20hrs | Views
For a couple of months now, those of us women who support Nelson Chamisa have felt a sense of discomfort when we think about actually voting for him.
It isn't that we don't want to: He is young, energetic and charismatic, and crucially, is relatively untainted by the struggles of the past.
Of course, he has his flaws - too eager to make grandiose promises perhaps; somewhat ambivalent to his party's democratic process in seizing the leadership; and certainly arrogant, but none of these could have put me off voting for him. We want change, and he appeared to represent it.
However, the issue of sexism is a different one altogether. From the start, this seems to have been his greatest weakness.
When his cadres attacked Thokozani Khupe, possibly the legitimate party leader strictly speaking, we gave him the benefit of the doubt.
When he insulted our leader Morgan Tsvangirai's wife, we were uncomfortable, but we forgave him.
When he offered his sister in a bet, we squirmed in our seats, we began to waver, but we stayed silence. We decided to give him one more chance.
But this morning, when we read about his comments at a rally in Lower Gweru, where he said, "Just give me any woman here and see if I will fail to score," we can stay silent no more. We can forgive him no more. We can support him no more.
There is a well known saying - 'fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me'. Well Nelson has fooled us women four times now, and we will not be made fools of. In making this statement, just a couple of weeks after his last sexist remark, he proves that he is a sexist. That he regards women as sexual objects, to be offered around and joked about. That his 'apology' last week (which always sounded a little hollow), was in fact a farce – another scheme his advisors cooked up to try and hide his true nature from us.
But it will not work. Not this time. No fifth chance.
I simply cannot vote for a man who seems to disdain women.
I simply cannot vote for a man who sees women like property.
I simply cannot vote for a man who treats women like cheap sexual objects, to be offered around, joked about, and used as examples of his sexual prowess.
I do not know who I will vote for now. Or if I will vote at all. But one thing is for sure. For me and the millions of female voters in Zimbabwe (52% if you have forgotten), this is a turning point.
This is the end for us and Nelson.
It isn't that we don't want to: He is young, energetic and charismatic, and crucially, is relatively untainted by the struggles of the past.
Of course, he has his flaws - too eager to make grandiose promises perhaps; somewhat ambivalent to his party's democratic process in seizing the leadership; and certainly arrogant, but none of these could have put me off voting for him. We want change, and he appeared to represent it.
However, the issue of sexism is a different one altogether. From the start, this seems to have been his greatest weakness.
When his cadres attacked Thokozani Khupe, possibly the legitimate party leader strictly speaking, we gave him the benefit of the doubt.
When he insulted our leader Morgan Tsvangirai's wife, we were uncomfortable, but we forgave him.
When he offered his sister in a bet, we squirmed in our seats, we began to waver, but we stayed silence. We decided to give him one more chance.
But this morning, when we read about his comments at a rally in Lower Gweru, where he said, "Just give me any woman here and see if I will fail to score," we can stay silent no more. We can forgive him no more. We can support him no more.
There is a well known saying - 'fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me'. Well Nelson has fooled us women four times now, and we will not be made fools of. In making this statement, just a couple of weeks after his last sexist remark, he proves that he is a sexist. That he regards women as sexual objects, to be offered around and joked about. That his 'apology' last week (which always sounded a little hollow), was in fact a farce – another scheme his advisors cooked up to try and hide his true nature from us.
But it will not work. Not this time. No fifth chance.
I simply cannot vote for a man who seems to disdain women.
I simply cannot vote for a man who sees women like property.
I simply cannot vote for a man who treats women like cheap sexual objects, to be offered around, joked about, and used as examples of his sexual prowess.
I do not know who I will vote for now. Or if I will vote at all. But one thing is for sure. For me and the millions of female voters in Zimbabwe (52% if you have forgotten), this is a turning point.
This is the end for us and Nelson.
Source - Innocent Dube
All articles and letters published on Bulawayo24 have been independently written by members of Bulawayo24's community. The views of users published on Bulawayo24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Bulawayo24. Bulawayo24 editors also reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.
