ZIMBABWEAN women in the UK have been a let down to fellow women compatriots.
It is really baffling why successful Zimbabwean women here are not ready to help their counterparts.
There is enough room for all the women but it seems the successful ones do not want to share in the success.
One would think that being in a foreign land would make the women band together creating strength in numbers.
Lauretta Nyangani of Northampton recounted how she was interviewed by a Zimbabwean lady who was a manageress at a care home.
“I was excited, I felt my prayers had been answered. A Zimbabwean woman would surely understand my plight. How wrong I was!.”
Laurreta did not get the job, she was told Zimbabweans are liars and cannot be trusted.
This came from a fellow Zimbabwean. 
It is now common knowledge that if you share your personal problems with a Zimbabwean lady, the story will, in no time, be all over the UK.
These ladies, who have become specialist rumour mongers, come to your house only to spy on what you have and do not have.
It is not surprising to find the work place abuzz with your private details.
Among our women here, it appears the ‘PhD’ (Pull her Down) syndrome is not a myth but a reality.
The question is why is it there?
Monalisa Basket, a nurse from London said: “I believe women are pulling their female counterparts down because, like males, they have been conditioned to believe women should not be successful.”
“It’s not only successful women who pull down their female colleagues, unsuccessful women do it too. You can spend a good 30 years trying to remember the last time you heard a woman admire a fellow woman without pointing out a single flaw or belittling their achievement,” said Mama Nancy of Luton.
Maybe the problem is that some Zimbabwean women still live in the shadow of their men.
“I see status updates on social media like ‘God bless my man’s hustle so I can bath in the fragrance of his success’,” said Pastor Mushonga of the African Church.
“Such thoughts suggest that some women still want to be shadows of men; they believe that’s their destiny, their role in life, hence it comes as a shock when they see another woman challenging the status quo,” she said.
“Women hardly appreciate another woman’s success; they have erroneous beliefs when it comes to the success of their fellow sisters. They believe a successful woman either slept with some powerful man or she knew some people who pushed her to the top, or she used some funny tactics that should not be mentioned.”
These are the stories women spread about one another in a bid to destroy the reputation of a woman they believe is challenging society’s status quo.
Some women twist stories and tell lies while others insult other women for being strong in the face of a broken relationship or marriage.
Some women simply feel they alone must be the best and compete even with those not in competition with them.
Failure to win the competition means the gloves come off and the other woman had better be ready for a showdown.
“It is disheartening that even in our fight for equality, we are our own biggest enemies.
“Women are the biggest traitors to their own empowerment, because they often side with the opposition simply to bring down any woman they believe is a threat to them.
“They are so wrapped up in the model society has designed for them that they sometimes involuntarily fight against their own movement.
“Jealousy is a constant cloud that hangs over many Zimbabwean women and the need to be better than their friends and colleagues remains the root of their insecurity.
“They walk into rooms and compare themselves to others, only being ultimately satisfied when they have established they are better than every other woman in the room.
“They are always on the lookout for dirt on other women and any gossip or rumour they can twist or help spread is what excites them,” said Valerie from London. 
The logical and sensible thing for Zimbabwean women abroad is to come together and co-operate if they are to thrive.
It is a shame that where they must advance and better their fortune they are failing simply because they cannot work together.
Vazet2000@yahoo.co.uk