By Paul Nyathi| The expelled former MDC Deputy President, Thokozani Khupe yesterday received backing from a cluster of women in politics.
The female activists at the weekend held a solidarity gathering with the troubled politician over alleged victimisation by male politicians on her simply because she is a woman.
The women met at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair grounds in Bulawayo as they held a prayer session for fellow female politicians in the country.
Among the scores of women who attended the gathering was MDC parliamentarian Priscilla Misihairabwi Mushonga who called on fellow women to go to the polls without their underwear to underscore their support for Khuphe and remind them that they are women.
“Some of us women are beginning to forget who we are and agreeing to be subjected by men,” she said.
“When we go to the elections this year we will be protesting this and we will go there without our underwear to remind ourselves that we are women and not vote for any male candidates,” she said.
Misihairabwi Mushonga hailed the women who attended the meeting claiming that their presence diffused the perception that women are divided and always fail to support each other.
Addressing the same gathering, leader of the People’s Democratic Party splinter party Luciah Matibenga also urged women to vote for fellow women candidates in the coming elections.
Matibenga also hailed the women for coming in their numbers to give Khuphe support at a time when she is being tormented by the MDC-T leadership that denied her leadership of the party to give it to Chamisa outside the provisions of the party.
“This is a very important day for us as women and especially for our sister Khuphe who is being persecuted for being a women in the MDC-T,” she said.
Matibenga urged women in the country to unite and give their full support to Khuphe as an injury to one woman is an injury to all women.
Khuphe thanked the women for giving her the support especially for attending the gathering organised by her supporter Lorraine Ncube in a short notice.
“I want to thank you so much for coming in your numbers and for the support and want to assure you that I will never give up this fight,” she said.
Dismissed MDC-T National Organising Secretary Abednico Bhebhe was the only visible high profile male person at the ceremony.
The three women, Khuphe, Mushonga and Matibenga are meanwhile reported to be cementing a women biased coalition with People’s Rainbow Coalition leader Joice Mujuru.
Khuphe, Bhebhe and Obert Gutu were dismissed from the MDC-T recently and have since formed their splinter MDC-T preparing to contest elections in this year’s plebiscite.