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Independence: Women speak

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By Gamuchirai Mugadzaweta

APRIL 18 2018 was Zimbabwe Independence Day.
The celebrations have come and gone and The Patriot took time to interview women in society who expressed their views on the state of affairs before and after attaining independence.
Betty Mudyanesimba from Harare said policies in the then Rhodesia were premised on race as whites maintained they were ‘superior’ to blacks.
Said Mudyanesimba: “There were two systems of education; the European division and the African division.
The European division meant for whites was free, compulsory and of higher quality, while the African division was neither free nor compulsory and had inadequate education provisions.”
The colonial Government, said Mudyanesimba, introduced laws which gave women little power, if any, in both civic and social affairs.
Under such laws, she said, property was owned by husbands.
The few women who went to school and got employed in Rhodesia earned less than their male counterparts despite performing the same duties, or even doing better.
“I started working in the early 1960s and no matter how professional we were, we were treated as nannies, getting low pay and there was no maternity leave,” said Mudyanesimba.
“As a teacher, I remember being pregnant and I knew this was the end of my career.”
The unfair treatment was disheartening as it nullified the achievements over the years.
The situation was made worse by the discriminating acts by whites.
Before April 18 1980, women never got to live their dreams as the system in existence did not support female aspirations and ambitions.
Regardless of the potential a woman had, the system that was in place before independence did not support, let alone encourage, woman to venture into any profession.
Rudo Murefu from Harare said: “I was interested in playing soccer and the passion I had was so great such that if I had been given a chance, I would be somewhere by now,” she said.
“It was an abomination for a lady to play professional football, but today ladies are free to do so because we are now in an independent Zimbabwe.
Today woman in various sectors have taken professions that were known to be dominated by males.
We are grateful to the freedom fighters who brought independence and freedom, especially to us women.”
The gains of independence have been greatly appreciated by women all over the country.
Many women are pursuing academic courses that will take them to higher offices through some universities such as Women University in Africa that particularly focuses on the elevation of women in society.
Tariro Chogugudza, for example, a young woman born after independence, said although she did not witness the abuse and suppression of blacks, the ill-treatment of blacks by whites must be condemned.
“Our mothers told us about how they were discriminated against and abused by the Smith regime,” she said.
“We are truly grateful to the systems that have changed and managed to give women a voice in society.
It’s a good thing that, as a developing nation, we have equal representation as women, be it politics or the business world.
I am studying Law and with successful women like Priscilla Chigumba being the High Court Judge, I am motivated and now believe that the sky is the limit.”
The fruits of independence continue to be witnessed in Zimbabwe as many women take up challenging roles that were previously male-dominated.

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