Makoni chiefs embrace gender inclusivity in land allocation

Harare (New Ziana) -Traditional leaders in Makoni district, Manicaland province have embraced gender equality through allocating pieces of land to women in the villages as well as promoting them to leadership positions.

Historically, land ownership was a preserve for men while it was taboo for women to take leadership positions as they were considered as the weaker sex.

However, it is now widely accepted that access to land and other productive resources by women is linked to global food security, sustainable economic development, the pressing fight against the HIV pandemic as well as prevention of, and responses to, gender-based violence.

In an interview with New Ziana, Chief Makoni said as traditional leaders, they were concerned about the high number of divorces which are seeing many women being kicked out of matrimonial homes and going empty handed.

He said children end up suffering after their parents separate and remarrying with some of the step parents illtreating them.

“I have four headwomen and more than fifteen village heads under my jurisdiction. These female traditional leaders are very helpful. I have since realised that they are performing much better than their male counterparts in presiding over disputes that arise from time to time,” he said.

Chief Makoni said the female traditional leaders are also assisting in preserving cultural practices in the area as well as playing active roles in environmental conservation activities.

He said the female traditional leaders are also instrumental in making sure that their fellow female villagers who are either married, single or divorced are given land that is registered in their names.

Chief Tandi from the same district echoed Chief Makoni’s sentients, saying he has about seventeen village heads in his area, six of them women whom he said are very hardworking.

“My work has been made easy by these women whom I used to think were not competent to mediate disputes,” he said.

He said he is considering upgrading more women to leadership positions once oportunities arise, adding that divorce cases are now on the decrease since he started promoting women.

“Men used to take advantage of their land ownership rights and were divorcing their wives at will, but now that some women are the legal custodians of the land, men have reformed as they are the ones who stand to lose should they divorce their spouses,” he said.

Chief Tandi encouraged other traditional leaders throughout the country to emulate the same practice, which he said has proved to be effective in keeping marriages intact in the area.

He said the headwomen and female village heads have played a significant role in making sure that women are not chased away empty handed from their matrimonial homes in the event of divorce.

New Ziana