By Staff Writer TABITHA Khumalo’s political journey is a perfect example of the trials and tribulations of women in politics. Khumalo, an MDC founding member and former legislator for Bulawayo East, confesses she had to develop a thick skin to survive Zimbabwe’s rough political terrain. “As women politicians, we have suffered all kinds of abuse including name-calling by our male counterparts,” Khumalo says. “I am called Sekuru Khumalo, Chairman Khumalo and all sorts of nicknames; women who want to get into politics should be prepared for such.” Several female politicians have been verbally abused for their sexuality, and called all sorts of derogatory terms like 'prostitute'. Motherhood has often been used as a political weapon against women in politics, investigations and research show. Any attempts made by women to secure positions of power are often seen as taboo by their male counterparts, friends and foe due to the harmful socio-cultural norms which do not view women's potential beyond domestic activities. This leads to a backlash from society with the women being primary targets of any discrimination and psychological distress that comes with it. This further tends to take a hard knock on women's self-esteem and confidence which has the effect of undermining women's capacity to see themselves as leaders and threaten female candidates’ potential to be successful. This is even more pronounced in politics, Khumalo adds. “As a woman, I have gone through serious political drilling. There are many challenges we face in politics as women,” Khumalo narrated while bemoaning that women are sometimes given leadership positions on 'charity' basis. “Women are unable to hold senior positions; if they do they are just given that position because one is a woman, not on merit. 'There is also the issue of sexual exploitation due to our biological make-up. We have organs that are seriously wanted by men which lead to men ending up abusing us. It is not a crime to be in politics and we have the rights to have sex when we want, but not to be abused.” This abuse is prevalent during the election period, and in Parliament. Last year, former MDC acting president Thokozani Khupe was often heckled as a 'Hure' by her opponents as political temperatures soared ahead of that party’s congress to elect a substantive leader after the death of Morgan Tsvangirai Also in 2020, Zanu PF Nkayi South legislator Stars Mathe was forced to storm out of Parliament in tears after she was heckled by MDC Alliance Mbizo MP Settlement Chikwinya saying she was heard screaming in a hotel room at night. Khumalo, recalled MP Joana Mamombe (Harare West MDC Alliance), Jasmine Toffa (Bulawayo Proportional Representation MP MDC Alliance) and recalled former MP Lynette Karenyi (Mutare Proportional Representation MDC Alliance) have also faced snide remarks dismissing them as prostitutes. Bulawayo MDC Alliance councillor Sikhululekile Moyo shared the same sentiments as she bemoaned the abuse of motherhood as a political weapon. “The major problem (for women in politics)
