Exposed: Women fell by the wayside in ZANU PF primaries, bribes and intimidation by men

Zwnews Correspondent

The provincial ZANU PF chair-ladies who spoke on behalf of their provincial structures during the party’s Women’s League meeting last week exposed that women fell by wayside in the just ended ruling party primaries because men used violence, bribes, and intimidated them into silence.

It was noted that as a result, out of the 210 contested constituencies only 22 women made it.

It was also alleged that most of those who won the primaries came from outside dangling a carrot of cash to buy votes. 

Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa (ED) had earlier said the political situation in the country and ruling party in particular has been disadvantaging women.

In his welcoming address at the meeting held at the ruling party’s headquarters in Harare last week, President Mnangagwa confessed that it was disheartening that when resources are availed, only the main wing gets everything at the expense of other wings of the party.

“We will tomorrow have a Central Committee meeting to discuss these issues, so that next time when resources are being allocated we could account for what is going to which wing

He added that women are not being fully represented in positions of authority.

The President added that the only way to correct this prevailing anomaly is by voting ZANU PF into power. “If you vote ZANU PF into power, we will solve all these prevailing inequalities,” he said.

ED also said his party was the most popular and loved party, and that as such, there was no need for violence. “We want peaceful, fair and credible elections, we are not worried who comes to observe, we have invited them all. We can win elections, despite having all the observers around,” he added.

The President also took the opportunity to talk of the current financial crisis, adding that his government is doing all it can to solve it, but the problem was money is disappearing.

“(Mari tirikutsvaga, asi dambudziko riripo nderekuti mari yacho inongoenda isiri kudzoka) “We are trying our best to ease the cash shortages  by sourcing cash from outside. We recently brought in hundred million, but the problem is the money is going somewhere and not coming back,” said Mnangagwa.