Zimbabwe - Elections 2000 - Sustainable Democracy

Women are disappointed at the decline in their representation in Zimbabwe’s next parliament following the recent elections, describing the development as “retrogressive”.

Only 13 women were elected out of 55 who had contested in the 120 constituencies. Seven seats went to the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and six to the ruling ZANU-PF (Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front). This is about 10 percent representation, down from 14 percent and well below the 30 percent target set in 1997 by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Declaration on Gender and Development, to which Zimbabwe is a signatory.

The chairperson of the SADC Parliamentary Forum observer team, Norah Shimming-Chase of Namibia expressed “sadness” at the small number of women in the new parliament.

Zimbabwean women’s organizations were equally disappointed. “The lobbying and interventions that had been put in by women’s groups were a waste of efforts,” said Doreen Mukwena, the Director of the Federation of African Media Women in Zimbabwe (FAMWZ).

“It shows the lack of commitment by party leaders and government in promoting women’s advancement into decision-making positions.”

Mukwena said there is now need for structural mechanisms to be put in place, which will allow for the participation of women in future. She suggested that the reason women failed to reach a higher margin is because the 30 percent minimum set by SADC is too low, reducing the incentive for women to strive for something higher.

“International women’s lobby groups are now pushing for 50 percent quotas in parliament and there is the example of Sweden which has 47 percent women in their parliament now,” Mukwena said.

The Southern African Research and Documentation Centre (SARDC)’s, Women in Development Southern African Awareness (WIDSAA) programme agreed that the results of the election were disappointing in terms of women’s representation.

“When you analyse the trends of the constituencies in which women were placed you see that it was in the difficult ones,” said Bookie Kethusegile, head of the WIDSAA programme.

“The ruling party fielded nine of its 20 women candidates in Harare which was its most tightly contested area,” she said.

Kethusegile called for affirmative action to be adopted by political party structures and included in their policies in order to promote women.

The Zimbabwe Women’s Resource Centre and Network (ZWRCN) said the present electoral system in Zimbabwe, the Westminster model First-Past-the-Post, means female candidates have to compete directly against men (who have the majority of the support within traditional party structures) in primary and national elections. Because women are less economically empowered than men, they are less able to mobilize resources required to win an election.

Three women ministers lost their constituencies on June 24-25: Thenjiwe Lesabe, minister of national affairs and employment creation and cooperatives; Oppah Muchinguri. minister of state in the president’s office and Sithembiso Nyoni former minister of state in Vice-President Joseph Msika ’s Office.

However, the number of women in parliament could be increased when President Robert Mugabe appoints 12 more MPs and eight provincial governors. The Council of Chiefs might also add to this when it elects 10 members to sit in the 150-seat parliament (SARDC).