‘Women should not wear trousers’

By Mirirai Nsingo

HARARE – Women should not wear trousers so as to preserve cultural values, senator for Mashonaland Central, Jenia Manyeruke, said last Thursday.

Contributing on the motion on Enforcement of National Laws worth the view to end child marriages, Sen Manyeruke criticized women who wear trousers saying they were failing to lead by example thereby contributing to moral decline.

“But, when you look at our children, they walk around half naked and we just look at them even if they wear trousers. We feel that we have not come across boys who wear girls clothing. But the girls, even the mothers, are also putting on trousers which are for men.

“How can you show children the good when you have joined the way they are dressing? Women who put on trousers have thrown away our culture. As women, I think there is something wrong with us, ” she said.

Sen Manyeruke said women who had ‘values’ long back would only wear trousers when they were going for sports only adding that teachers were also to blame for the moral decline.

“I engaged teachers in Muzarabani that they should be exemplary, because if you are not properly dressed and you try to teach these children the proper ways, they will not understand you.

“I think there is also something wrong with the teachers that are teaching our children because they are not leading by example. People think that they are moving with time, but I think we are getting lost,” she added.

She argued that children are dying of HIV because of lack of guidance: “May the dear Lord help us so that we become true women who look after the girl child properly?

“Many of our children are dying of AIDS because of lack of guidance. You will find that one girl would have five children, all with different surnames and totems, which is not good.” H Metro