By Margaret Kamba
As the nation celebrates National Youth Day tomorrow the 21st of February under the theme "Positioning youth empowerment and development towards vision 2030", ZANU PF National Chairman Cde Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri reminisces how she was inspired to sacrifice her life for Zimbabwe's freedom.
"I was one of the young boys and girls who left Zimbabwe and crossed the border to join the armed struggle in the 1970s. I was only 16 years upon getting to Mozambique. Some of the school children who embarked on a similar journey were as young as 10 years old. The trigger for my participation in the armed struggle was partly motivated by relatives from Mozambique who had just attained their independence in 1975, the same year when I crossed into Mozambique. Due to the stories I heard from my kith and kin, I had developed this exaggerated view of what the liberation struggle entailed. Some of these relatives who were in the bush had been able to go to school overseas in countries such as China and the then Soviet Union, courtesy of FRELIMO. As a result, some of them who had excelled in their studies were participating in the socio-economic development activities in independent Mozambique. With this in mind, I thought it was going to be the same and little did I know what I was getting myself into. I thought we would go to Mozambique and get selected to pursue my education further. I thought I could be a nurse. The other motivation for participation in the struggle was the death of Chairman Herbert Chitepo in 1975 as a result of an assassination engineered by agents of the Rhodesian regime," she said.
"The years of our struggle during the revolutionary struggle were years of bitter experience gained through a bitter struggle. Some of us paid the ultimate sacrifice at various camps such as Nyadzonia, Chimoio, Tembwe, Freedom Camp and Mkushi. It was a difficult time especially for the girl child and women in general. We could not have sanitary wear and we had to use tattered dirty rags. We did not eat well; we did not sleep well. We had no watches to tell time and no calendars, so I cannot account for the five years I was in the bush. It was just war and death. In relation to education, the party had to establish schools in the bush like Chindunduma. When the bases were attacked, everyone was exposed to the enemy’s firepower. For instance, I was attacked at all the bases I was stationed. I was there when all the bombings took place, including at Chimoio. In other words, even those who were in the rear, and not involved in active combat, they were also exposed to everything because the Rhodesians attacked the rear as well. The attacks on Nyadzonia, Chimoio, Tembwe, Mkushi and Freedom Camp are well documented and prove the point I am making. We lost many children and freedom fighters in those attacks."
The Minister of Defence Cde Muchinguri-Kashiri said she is hopeful that the youth that the youth from today must recognize the sacrifice by their predecessors.
"I am hopeful that the sacrifice and commitment demonstrated by yesteryear youth will trickle down and act as an inspiration to the youth of modern Zimbabwe. As a Party, we must intensify our politicization programmes via Chitepo School of Ideology to raise the level of political consciousness amongst our youth and the people alike. Similarly, our youth must recognize the need to sacrifice in the fight against modern practices of neo-colonialism. The youth must remain exceedingly vigilant and avoid relaxing their efforts because the enemy is always plotting. Today’s enemy maneuvers are being driven by NGOs, Multi-national firms, captured political leaders and soft. The enemy’s methods and tactics are complex, sophisticated and hideous. To vanquish the enemy and move the country forward, our youth must draw their inspiration from our unequalled gallant performance during and after independence," the National Chairman said.
"The youth are the future of the country. As such, to safeguard our founding principles of unity, peace and development, we should recognize the need to groom and mentor our young people. Under the Second Republic, His Excellency the President, Cde Dr E.D. Mnangagwa has infused youth into key decision making bodies such as the Politburo, Cabinet and bureaucracy. This move by our servant leader will ensure that the youth participate in all spheres of policy making. With this approach it will be easy and smooth for the older leadership to pass on the torch of leadership to the youth. In pursuing our revolutionary objectives, it is imperative to realize that the enemy we are fighting is not yet completely defeated. Accordingly, whilst our youth derive joy and inspiration from our unmatched gallantry in confronting the enemy since the armed struggle, our youth have to remain vigilant and formidable. As I pointed out earlier, the Party should roll out politicization programmes to raise the level of political consciousness amongst our youth and cadres. Only then, the people of Zimbabwe can depend on us to uphold and maintain to the full - the founding principles of our revolutionary Party."
She looks back at the journey and how she and her colleagues have had to fight for the emancipation of women.
"My journey since the liberation struggle was long and arduous. Following my military training, I was selected to work with the high command responsible for finances and did some secretarial work. I was also one of the founders of the ZANU Women’s League in 1977, whose first meeting was held in Xai Xai, Mozambique, and our former First Lady, Cde Sally Mugabe was appointed Secretary. “We felt we need our own platform where we could identify women’s issues and kick start a women’s movement. This was where we identified how women were systematically denied of their rights. As black women, we were at the bottom of the ladder without any empowerment, socially, politically, and economically - we were treated as minors. In our first meeting, we were able to establish that. We identified the barriers and realized that we needed to make changes to our situation when we were free. After independence, the Legal Age of Majority Act was passed, and it was the starting point for the empowerment of women,” Cde Muchinguri-Kashiri said.
"I strongly believe that Zimbabwe has achieved critical milestones on the 12 critical areas of concern in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. As the Minister of Women Affairs between 2005-2009, we confronted the menace of gender-based violence. When I was appointed Minister, the first area I prioritised was tackling gender based violence. I pushed for the passage of the Domestic Violence Act in 2007 that set up the supportive structures to fight domestic violence, such as the Anti-Domestic Violence Council that was launched in 2009. In the council, we recommended a 50:50 representation of women and men in key decision-making positions. We were also clear that we should have representation of the chiefs, the religious sect, Parliament and people with disabilities. At community level, we came up with structures including community committees to ensure awareness and advocacy at that level. We also put in place anti-trafficking legislation to domesticate the Anti-Trafficking Convention that we ratified through Parliament. We made sure that the Police Victim-Friendly Units were functional because we noticed that issues of violence against women were not taken seriously by the police.
"Other interventions by the Government post-Beijing include women sensitive policies and programs. For instance, women benefitted from the 20 percent quota land allocations at the peak of the land reform program, and financial institutions were set up to assist women, including the Women’s Development Fund and the Zimbabwe Women’s Microfinance Bank. These institutions have addressed women financial inclusion issues.
"The 2013 National Constitution has been a landmark document in relation to women empowerment. It provided for special measures, which saw women’s representation in Parliament increasing to 32 percent in 2013, from 17 percent in 2008. Although the number of women has grown in the Second Republic, it is still far from 50:50 representation as envisaged by the Constitution. I am also disappointed that in the private sector only a handful of women are in decision-making positions. In Parliament, we need to do better in the Lower House. We need to continue with advocacy and awareness programs. It is not enough to just have affirmative action policies, we need to do more and appeal to communities on this. The addition of the 60 seats under the Proportional Representation system has widened women participation in the legislature.
"To young women, I would like to say, “The sky is the limit, be professional and show that you can make meaningful contributions, in politics and in Parliament. The government under the Second Republic has created a conducive environment for the girl child to shine. There are the necessary policies. The Constitution is there for you and so is the supportive ministries. It is important to go to school. I am a testament to that. As the first woman to become National Chairman of ZANU PF as well as Minister of Defence, I learnt life the hardest way, but education is a key ingredient to mould successful girls. Girls are no longer confined to traditional jobs like nursing and teaching, as they can go into sciences and technology. I am available to interact with the girls; sharing my experiences and demystify beliefs that there are still male- dominated areas. We should maintain cordial relationships with our fathers as they play dual roles of being fathers and brothers. Finally, young girls should appreciate that they are assets in the society, at institutions and at family level with that they have to be dependable and bring about positive changes"