Women like Yeukai Paradza (47) are standing against odds to take up political space. Yeukai will be running for a Council seat in Vungu Rural District Council under a ZANU PF ticket on 23 August when Zimbabwe  holds its harmonized elections.

“As a woman I believe I’m more involved with the community and I better understand what the community goes through. I have experienced firsthand what its like not having running water or not having easy access to hospitals, the situation is especially bad for pregnant women,” she said.

Her desire is to be involved in the social services committee if she is elected so that she can directly be involved in service delivery. Already she is in the process of building a waiting mothers’ shelter.

“This project is dear to my heart as I don’t want to see pregnant mothers walking for 2-3 kilometers to the nearest hospital when they are in labour,” she said.

Since independence reports indicate that women face stigma and discrimination as well as other cultural hindrances that prevent them from fully participating in politics. But more organizations are fighting for the inclusion of more women whilst advocating against archaic practices that hinder women participation.

Yeukai believes the only way for the community to develop is for people to work together to achieve their goals. This is one of the strategies that she wants to use to build more clinics in her ward.  “I believe as a community we can mold our own bricks to cut down on costs of building. In the community we have qualified builders that can assist and make this a meaningful community project with everyone involved,” she added.

Women in politics have over the years said that financial constraints don’t allow them to effectively campaign. Gender inequality, is more glaring in politics because men have more resources and power to access different geographical locations.

“Men in politics use their money and power to influence other women to spread malicious lies about women in politics. You get labeled as a prostitute and called other derogatory names. On top of this men who hold influential positions in politics don’t take you seriously and look at you more as a sex object, ”she said.

But Yeukai has not let these obstacles stop her from pursuing her goals. Her community remains at her heart and she has so far been able to get assistance to install 20 solar panels at the Vundu local clinic. Throughout the seven villages under her jurisdiction four boreholes have been drilled and because she is part of the Presidential Borehole Scheme her community will be getting another borehole drilled for use at community gardens.

Yeukai believes more work still needs to be done in her community. “We have a school called Chiwundura Secondary School where we had promised to build a science laboratory but are still to get adequate resources to do so. If I get into council I plan to work on this,” she said.

Yeukai has been actively involved in politics starting off as the District Youth Chairperson and is currently the DCC Secretary for Environment and Tourism.