Attention: Ms Ronica Mumbire The National Chairperson Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe 13 Bates Road Milton Park Harare Dear Madam, It ...
Dear Madam, It is with utmost shock that I learnt of your statement dated 4 October 2019 requesting a national apology and respect for women from Advocate Nelson Chamisa over an incident that happened at Rufaro stadium on 28 September 2019.
As the person who is purportedly directly affected by the actions of the said Advocate Chamisa, I find the action by your institution inconsistent for a number of reasons outlined below: I am a fully paid up member of WCoZ.
Surely, if you purport to act on behalf of women and allege as stated in your statement that I was heckled, then ought you not to have sought my side of the story. Alternatively, as you conclude that I am a victim of abuse, would not your first port of call have been to offer support to enable me to come out of the abusive circumstances.
I would allege further that in the publication of your statement you have even further abused and traumatised me by making me an object of public ridicule and pity as an “abused wife.” You seem more worried about a national apology than the welfare of a woman victim who according to you continues to live with an “abuser.”
I am further shocked that you have picked this one incident to act on my behalf when there have been other incidents of abuse targeted at me where the WCoZ has chosen to remain silent. I have been subject of abuse on social media that included body shaming. I expected on those occasions for WCoZ to have responded with sisterly love and demanded respect for women but no support was forthcoming.
Earlier this year, The Herald carried a story with a scathing attack on me alleging that I had purportedly used my official position in one organisation to support a partisan agenda, a story that attacked my integrity as a professional woman.
The story was published by the Herald on 13 February 2019 entitled “Chamisa’s Breakfast Prayer Meeting: The Untold Truth.” Again as WCoZ member you would have known that to be false and I expected that would have come to my defence.
I have also followed other incidents on abuse of women where I personally thought they were of such serious magnitude that WCOZ should have acted but you did not act. A case in point is the abduction of popular comedian Samantha Kureya where the women’s voice was notably absent. The Herald for instance has on various occasions carried stories that have attacked women using very abusive language .
A case in point is the attack on Hon Joanna Mamombe made on 29 June 2019 in an article “The Saturday Column: The day cyclone Mthuli came to town.” Again no response was heard from WCoZ. Other WCoZ members Rita Nyamupinga and Sithabile Dewa are facing trumped up treason charges.
Again WcoZ was conspicuously silent. It is light of the above that your purported sympathy in the press statement you, made on 4 October then exposes your hypocrisy in the whole matter. If as you say you represent the rights of women, your exploits in this regard must be consistent, holistic and informed.
Otherwise they come across as partisan and lacking in all sincerity. I felt compelled to register my displeasure personally by writing to you directly before I make any public statement on the matter so that we can engage constructively as a member of the movement who has served in it in various capacities. I await to hear from you.
Regards, Sithokozile Thabethe – Chamisa
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