Republic of Zimbabwe Vice-President Joice Mujuru addressed the International Women's Day rally for 2011. Mujuru is a veteran of the national liberation war fought during the 1960s and 1970s against British settler-colonialists supported by imperialism. a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
VP Mujuru commends women
Friday, 11 March 2011 22:41
From Walter Nyamukondiwa in CHINHOYI
Zimbabwe Herald
ZIMBABWE has the capacity to circumvent illegal western economic
sanctions through harnessing and revolutionising traditional science
and technology inherent in its traditional value systems for a better
future, Vice President Joice Mujuru said yesterday.
Addressing thousands of people gathered for International Women's Day celebrations at Chinhoyi University of Technology yesterday, VP Mujuru said women were a gold mine of life transforming knowledge that needed to be documented and improved for the development of the country at large.
"Technology can only come to complement and improve upon what our
people have known over the ages. Much of the things we need as a
country have been part of our ancestors and some of it is in our
people right now," she said.
Giving an example of when she fell ill, she said it only took the
knowledge from her mother to diagnose an illness that had proved
elusive for medical doctors.
She said the contribution of science and technology had greater effect
now that people have the land following reforms in ownership that
released land to the black majority.
"The greatest gift women got is the land and technology like snow, if
it has somewhere to land on becomes a mountain. This mirrors the kind of strides we can make with the asset," she said.
She urged women to take advantage of the opportunities like education and creation of a conducive environment for business to improve themselves.
Zimbabweans, she said, were born a resilient lot that has managed to
withstand the 11 year-old sanctions induced hardships.
Women's Affairs, Gender and Community Development Minister Olivia
Muchena implored women to constantly improve themselves through
studying.
"VP Mujuru is still studying even if she has reached a position that
most of you consider to be the summit but she continues to uplift
herself though study.
"With her position comes more responsibilities but she still makes
time for that. What about you?" she asked the gathering.
United Nations Development Programme resident co-ordinator Alain
Noudehou urged Government and other stakeholders to work hard to close the gap that still existed between men and women.
"Celebrating women is not the only objective of this day (Women's Day).
"Equally important is to acknowledge the gap that still remains
between men and women, and boys and girls in many areas of our society and to advocate for the elimination of these gaps," he said.
He, however, commended the tremendous progress that Zimbabwe has made in upholding the rights of women and girls as equal citizens.
"As a signatory to international treaties and conventions, Zimbabwe's
commitment to advancing the women's agenda has been inspiring," he
said.
He said a number of laws including the Domestic Violence Act have been enacted to further strengthen gender equality and women's empowerment.
Women's active participation in the constitution making process, he
said, had further highlighted the growing level of women involvement
in democratic processes.
Ministry officials, Zanu-PF Mashonaland West provincial chairman Cde
Robert Sikanyika, Mashonaland West Governor and Resident Minister
Faber Chidarikire, service chiefs, Senators and MPs attended the
commemorations.
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