Zimbabwe’s unfinished liberation: Women chart freedom beyond independence
Duduzile Nyathi
When Gogo Sibongile Mkhwebu cast her first vote in 1980, she hid her ink-stained finger from her husband, whispering “amandla” (power) under her breath.
Today, her granddaughter, 24-year-old law student Moyo, argues inheritance cases—a journey mirroring Zimbabwe’s 45-year struggle to transform independence’s promise into tangible equality. While national policies seek to champion progress, women embody both the strides made and the battles still raging.
Legal Liberation: Custom Clashes with Constitution
Zimbabwe’s 2013 Constitution enshrined gender equality, but in Matabeleland’s rural heartlands, tradition often trumps statute. Nomalanga Dube (name changed), a 42-year-old widow in Tsholotsho, recounts how her late husband’s family seized her cattle: “They said, ‘Umthetho waseHarare awusebenzi lapha’ (Harare’s laws don’t work here).” Despite the Legal Age of Majority Act, 63% of women in Matabeleland North marry before 18 (ZimStat, 2022), driven by poverty and patriarchal norms.
Education: Matabeleland’s Quiet Revolution
Zimbabwe boasts 92% female literacy (UNESCO, 2021), but Matabeleland’s women lead in secondary school completion (74%, UNICEF 2023). Yet rural barriers linger. In Gwanda, 15-year-old Thandiwe Mlotshwa misses school monthly: “We use leaves when we can’t afford pads. Teachers call it ‘inkinga yabesifazane’ (women’s trouble).”
Economic Power: Informal Hustle, Systemic Hurdles
Zimbabwe’s informal sector, dominated by women (67%, ILO 2023), thrives in Matabeleland’s markets. At Bulawayo’s Entumbane Market, MaKhumalo (55) sells isitshwala from dawn to dusk, funding her daughter’s degree. “This stove is my office,” she laughs. Yet only 9% of Matabeleland’s registered businesses are female-owned (RBZ, 2022), stifled by loan collateral demands and urban-centric policies.
The government’s devolution funds (launched 2020) brought solar-powered mills to villages like Maphisa, but Lindiwe Ndlovu, 47, notes: “Men control the switches—and the income.”
Political Voice: Quotas Meet Quiet Resistance
Nationally, women’s parliamentary representation peaked at 34% in 2013 but slid to 25% in 2023. In Matabeleland, grassroots groups like Women’s Institute for Leadership Development (WILD) drive progress: 28% of local council seats are held by women, surpassing the national average.
Health: Bodily Autonomy as Liberation’s Litmus Test
Zimbabwe halved maternal mortality since 2010 (UNICEF 2023), but Matabeleland South still loses 1 in 80 mothers (MoHCC, 2023). In January 2025 alone, 54 women and 300 newborns in Zimbabwe died due to childbirth complications, underscoring persistent systemic failures . Neonatal mortality remains alarmingly high at 29 deaths per 1,000 live births (2022), with rural areas bearing the heaviest burden .
The Domestic Violence Act (2007) remains paper-thin in villages like Brunapeg, where Nomaqhawe Ncube (32) recalls: “Neighbours told me, ‘Ungumfazi, qina’ (You’re a wife, endure).”
From courtrooms to classrooms, markets to council halls, Zimbabwean women—especially in Matabeleland—are reshaping the nation’s promise of independence. Progress is real but uneven, as tradition, poverty, and politics still pull hard against change. Yet across generations, women continue to push forward—not just demanding inclusion, but redefining what liberation truly means.
