Female aspiring councillors bemoan lack of support
As the clock is ticking towards 2019 tripartite elections, a group of women aspiring to contest for Ward Councillorship in Mzimba have bemoaned lack of support from political parties and women.
The group, under the Women Empowered for Leadership (WE4L) banner, a 50-50 campaign project championed by Tovwirane Organisation, has also blamed non-governmental organisations (NGO) implementing the 50-50 campaign saying they like engaging female aspirants towards elections period.
Speaking on Monday at a meeting which Tovwirane organisation conducted between female aspirants and the district governors for political parties in Mzimba, one of the female aspirants Idah Shawa-Tembo (Democratic Progressive Party) who is eying Mperekezi Ward in Mzimba Solola said the 50-50 campaign will remain a ‘far-fetched’ dream unless female aspirants are supported at all levels.
She said:“The support towards women vying for political positions is only in theory, but practically it does not happen. Our political parties favour men more than us. Even for us fellow women to support each other, it is rare. We cannot win elections that way.”
Another aspirant, Moureen Moyo, said NGOs promoting women’s political participation should start engaging female aspirants now.
Speaking on behalf of fellow district governors, Mzimba District DPP governor Fikani Nyirenda assured the female aspirants at the meeting, that his party is ready to support women in 2019.
Mzimba has two female councillors out of 22 wards, while at a national level, out of 463 wards councilors, 52 are females.
