The full implementation of the Global Political Agreement should be the starting point, says the Coalition, which released its own roadmap on the sidelines of the recent SADC summit. It raises the following points:

Women did not participate equally in the negotiations that resulted in the Global Political Agreement. Only one woman, Priscilla Misihairambwi, secretary general of the Ncube faction of the MDC, sat at the negotiating table. The resultant document mentions women and gender in several critical issues and speaks to issues of inclusion and equal participation of women. However the language used in the document is deliberately vague and some of the phrases and meanings are left for the readers to interpret.

The mandate of structures such as the Organ on National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration seems deliberately vague and open to interpretation. This depicts the levels of mistrust and efforts to outmanoeuvre each other in the implementation phase of the GPA.

Issues critical to women are not dealt with adequately such as health, specifically maternal health. Zimbabwe’s maternal mortality rate is a high 725 out of every 100 000 live births.

Vague document

The draft Roadmap to Zimbabwe elections is another vague and gender dry document. The document addresses issues of sanctions, media reforms, violence, freedom of assembly and association and the next elections. However it falls far short in mentioning and beginning to address the gender issues inherent in all the mentioned areas.

Zimbabwean women have complained of a male dominated media that portrays women in a negative light. The issues of violence need to be expanded to address both the public and private forms of violence, which have a cyclical and symbiotic relationship.

Issues of national healing encompassing truth telling, justice, restitution, rehabilitation and reconciliation are not dealt with adequately. The draft document has accusations, denials and different explanations depicting serious divergence in perceptions in our leadership. Freedom of assembly and issues of elections are discussed without the requisite gender lenses.

Basic demands

The women’s roadmap document contains basic and minimum gender demands that need to be met before free, fair elections can be held, in which women can participate freely and actively.

These include a new constitution which guarantees all human rights of women and has provisions for gender equity, equality and non-discrimination. It should also uphold the principles of participation of women in electoral and governance processes and guarantee a quota and the 50/50 principle for women and men in decision making positions.

Women envisage a hybrid electoral system that provides for the effective participation of women in politics. Women want legal reforms that remove some of the repressive legislation in place. This includes domestication and implementation of international and regional instruments dealing with women’s empowerment, specifically the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development.

They also want reform of draconian legislation such as Public Order and Security Act and Access to Information and the Protection of Privacy Act, and an amendment to the Political Parties Finance Act to allocate resources to women candidates.

End to Impunity

Women are demanding an end to politically motivated violence and intimidation and asking the state to ensure full security of women and girls during election periods and an end to impunity for the perpetrators.

The women’s roadmap demands that the government begins to promote nation building above party politics and de-politicisation of national and international days/events. The government should ensure non-partisan use of state resources, humanitarian aid and traditional leadership structures.

The would also like the reformation of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to allow for effective participation of women. These reforms include the transformation of ZEC to be a truly independent electoral commission with full mandate to oversee elections, answerable to a minister and reporting to parliament to increase its accountability.

ZEC should carry out mobile registration campaign around Zimbabwe, clean the voters roll to reflect current voters only and disseminate adequate information on the inspection of the voters roll.