Women and mothers in Renewal Democrats of Zimbabwe (RDZ) would like to express their heartfelt condolences to the families of the cross border Zimbabwean traders who perished in Kafue , Zambia at the weekend while on duty.
As mothers in the RDZ we are worried about the alarming rate of Zimbabwean women who lose their lives through road traffic accidents while fending for their families within and beyond our borders. Some are either kidnapped or sexually abused in foreign nations for the sake of their struggling families.
It is for these and other reasons that we unreservedly blame the government of the day which has completely failed to live up to its widely published 2.2 million jobs promise of 2013. We demand that for every single loss of life on our colleagues the state must be responsible in incurring the blame and compensation. It is common cause that the state must create employment for its own citizens .
We also blame the government for not taking necessary measures to ensure that public transporters adhere to safe standards and life saving rules.
As RDZ mothers we demand that the government provides employment for its women and stop harassing our colleagues who are toiling for a living in the urban streets. It is sad to note that the state has of late invested a lot of resources in subjecting our urban female traders to severe beatings and confiscation of their wares instead of creating safe, suitable and sustainable livelihoods for them. The recent deliberate non funding of the female soccer team to fly to West Africa for a crucial tournament is a glaring sign that the ruling government does not care about the welfare and interests of women. We also demand that the government put a legislation that makes employment a human right.
Hilda Sibanda
RDZ Women Assembly Chairperson