“Women can never be equal with men” says Mutoko headman

By Emmanuel Manyati

MUTOKO – A headman from Nyamuzizi Resettlement Area in Mutoko has declared that women can never be equal with men at any level.

Headman Zin’anga said these remarks during a community sensitization meeting on Gender at Nyamuzizi Primary School.

However the remarks left the villagers and stakeholders who had travelled from Mutoko Centre to educate the communities on Gender equality thunderstruck.

“I would like to thank these various stakeholders for coming to educate us today… but one thing l would want you to know is that even when God created Adam, he took a rib and put it on Eve. This historical anatomy of creation is a clear indication that women came from men hence we can never be equal in the society” he said.

These remarks left women participants and various civil society organizations that were present in frustration.

“In our culture men initiate marriage and pay the lobola…. So if women need equal space they should also pay lobola,” he insisted.

But according to Grace Chirenje, Zimbabwe is undoubtedly a religious community with Christianity dominating.

However this has also seen some high levels of intolerance and misunderstanding of Christianity and thus leading to abuse of women using religion as a tool of oppression.

Grace Chirenje is a Zimbabwean vocal feminist who initiated a vibrant young women’s organization.

“When a headman carelessly utters such statements and he is supposed to be a leader and a cultural/traditional gatekeeper its worrying and surely retrogressive to the development of women’s rights…….it is important that leaders are careful of whatever insights and comments they share as they could be taken as an example that could lead to women’s rights violations” she said.

The gender phenomenon has been mixed with various misconceptions and conspiracy theories.

It is saddening to note that the traditional leaders who are expected to be championing gender equality are the ones that are denouncing the program, especially in rural areas where literacy levels are very low, it is important to train traditional leaders on gender and other related issues so that the rights of women are protected in all corners of Zimbabwe.

Nyamuzizi area has recorded the highest cases of gender based violence in Mutoko and these traditional guardians have thwarted all efforts to empower women in resettlement areas because of their patriarchal background that does not recognize women as equal partners in the society.