Proportional representation councillors, lawmakers and aspiring women leaders in Bulawayo last week underwent transformative feminist leadership training in the city.
The training aimed to empower women to take up elected positions and address their underrepresentation in leadership and decision-making roles.
The program was conducted by the Women’s Academy for Leadership and Political Excellence (WALPE), in collaboration with the Zimbabwe Gender Commission and the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, and Small and Medium Enterprises with support from UN Women Zimbabwe,
WALPE gender and membership officer, Thelma Mabika, said the programme focused on building successful campaigns, addressing violence against women, and promoting gender-responsive budgeting.
“We want women to move beyond waiting for positions and instead confidently compete for roles that enable them to develop their communities,” Mabika said.
The training covered gender-responsive budgeting, campaign strategies, and combating online violence against women in politics.
Mabika highlighted how social media is weaponised to discourage women’s participation. Participants drafted action plans to increase women’s political engagement in their communities.
Currently, women hold only 23 of 210 parliamentary seats, down from 25 in 2018.
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WALPE is intensifying efforts to reverse this trend ahead of the 2028 elections, having conducted similar trainings in Manicaland, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West, and Harare provinces.
