Patriarchy impedes young women from civic participation

By Andile Sayi

Thubelihle Nkiwane (18), Her Worship, the Junior Mayoress of Bulawayo Metropolitan province says despite the opportunity she got to lead the Junior Council, she and other girls in leadership positions continue to be constrained by the dominant patriarchal system in the country.

“Toxic masculinity is prevalent in the Council just as it is in the community and country at large. It does not matter that I am the leader of the Council. Male colleagues feel that they must always have their way. At times the level of aggression becomes too much and this discourages me from making some decisions,” says Thubelihle.

The Bulawayo Junior Council is a junior replica of the Bulawayo City Council, led by youths across the 29 Wards of Bulawayo metropolitan province. The mandate of the Junior Council is to create a platform where the young people contribute to development in the province. The junior council implements advocacy campaigns and organizes events that address problems faced by youth in the city. The Junior Council is led by the Junior Mayor and Junior Mayoress.

“Before I joined the Junior Council, I had big plans to change the situation faced by young women. I had the zeal to drive my ideas. I actively participated in the selection process. When I was selected the Junior Mayoress, I was elated. A few weeks in the office I realized that it was an uphill task to interact on the same level with my male colleagues,” says Thubelihle.

Thubelihle says her time as a Mayoress has been the most difficult part of her life. While the Junior Mayor can push his ideas forward, Thubelihle says that she has to content with negative attitude and comments that are rooted in culture. She feels that her male colleagues expect her to sit back and listen to what men say.

Besides the patronizing stance by her male counterparts, Thubelihle says she also faces challenges from other women. She says elderly women feel that she is of loose morals.

“Some women and girls are still confined to cultural practices that oppress women. These women always want to pull down women leaders using the cultural elements. Think this is the ‘pull her down or PHD syndrome.’ There is need to engage such women so that they get unshackled from some oppressive cultural practices,” says Thubelihle.

The Junior Mayoress says she has now embarked on work to shift the mindset of women and girls.

“I have organized workshops for young girls to build their capacity and confidence. They need to believe in themselves first before they believe that they can effectively lead,” says Thubelihle.

This article was written as part of the Creative Centre for Communication and Development (CCCD) project that seeks to strengthen the voices of women and girls, especially under the grim impact of the Coronavirus (COVID 19). CCCD has used the WhatsApp mobile application to train women and girls so that they express their voices on what is happening in their communities.