Job Sikhala | I am seeing people shouting and exchanging harsh words on different platforms about the primary election duel of Jessie Majome and Joana Ruvimbo Mamombe. This is the beauty of politics. It is a gruelling journey that brings emotions out of people. I always warned many people never to use emotions in politics, otherwise it is the recipe for hypertension and death through stroke.

If I were Jessie Majome, I would be so happy to find someone calling on the constituency that I have interests on. Going through the mill of public scrutiny and the democratic process gives legitimacy to your representation of the people. The pride driven from the people driven mandate is worth more than all the silver and gold we have.

I know Joana very well. She is a strong woman in the mold of Winnie Madikizela Mandela. She is an activist of note, fearless and aggressive. Such strong women  are a rare breed. She also has intellect and great oratory skills. I remember she fought a vicious battle at CUT to dethrone the ZANU PF aligned ZICOSU from controlling the politics of the college. She invited me to address CUT students at CUT University Hotel and left the University well acquitted with the politics of activism. She is one of the first ones to join Itai Dzamara at the Occupy Africa Unity Square. She was in the OAUS Strategic Committee which was being Chaired by Itai. She grew the ZINASU brand during her leadership as Secretary for Gender. She became more of a real de facto ZINASU leader through her astuteness. Lets be frank to each other. This woman is something else.

Jessie Majome is one of the finest female Members of Parliament ever to emerge post independence. She is a hands on MP and is so obsessed with human rights issues. Issues to do with human rights is her calling. She is simple and has no trait of arrogance in her. She won several annual Human Rights awards as a lawyer and as a legislator who raised issues of human rights to another level.

Let the best women battle it out. Throwing an innuendo that some hands have set one woman against another is ridiculous and myopic. Democracy demands that people decide whom they want. Let them wrestle it out. It’s game on. Democracy in motion.