Source: The Herald
Representation of women at the top in business in Zimbabwe has gone up over the years following the implementation of economic empowerment vehicles that encourage and support women's participation in the economy.

Once confined to teaching, nursing and secretarial careers, women in Zimbabwe have slowly broken the traditional path and now head powerful organisations while others are running successful businesses, a feat that could not be attained during the colonial era.

"Women's economic achievement in the different sectors across Zimbabwe is a testimony of Government's commitment to uplift women after decades of repression, which they endured during the Ian Smith regime.

"We applaud the Government for setting up a framework on economic empowerment which looks at the empowerment of women across sectors. It is a result of that and many similar initiatives that have propelled women to success," said Ms Hazel Chinake the chairperson of Network for African Business Women (Zimbabwe Chapter).

Ms Chinake, whose organisation has a membership of 9 000 said Government continues to present women with opportunities in mining, construction, energy and information communication technology, areas that were once dominated by men.

"Black women never dreamt of reaching this era, where women have become equal partners in business and are doing more for themselves than before," she said.

During the colonial era, black Zimbabwean women suffered from the gender discrimination of the pre-independence era, where business opportunities, access to cash, trading rights and enrolment in good schools were only reserved for the whites.

This discrimination left many women without skills and the level of literacy needed to enter the mainstream economy or to deal with the unnecessary plethora of rules and regulations that were required when setting up a business of any kind.

And to avoid as much of the red tape as they could, the majority of Zimbabwean women opted for "informal activities" such as hawking and cross-border trading to neighbouring countries like South Africa and Botswana, neither which presented meaningful income or viable business opportunities.

Plain old fashioned male prejudice against women and their capabilities, made it extremely difficult to break through the glass ceiling in the economy that had been put up by the Rhodesian system.

Susan Peters a renowned businesswoman who started a retail business in 1980, said women struggled to venture into business because of the stringent conditions that were set aside for blacks, particularly women.

"You had to have your own savings, and a stable source of income for you to start a business. In the event that you wanted to get a loan from the bank, your husband had to accompany you to the bank because a woman was considered a minor and a serious flight risk," she recalled.

Ms Peters, with business interest in properties, tourism health and beauty, recalls how women found it difficult to even rent properties in the central business district and had to scrounge for limited places in the lower end of the city, known as "down town" or "kumakhula".

Even after getting the opportunity to open a business, Ms Peters said women were confronted with a plethora of challenges such as opening a bank account, accessing cheap funds, negotiating for long leases on rented property and getting training opportunities on business management.

"Most women had to start their business in retail because other areas like manufacturing had stringent conditions which were difficult to meet.

"What most women have built over the years, was a result of constant struggle, competing for space and opportunities that lay with the white community. Our Government has been very supportive of women empowerment," she said

Some of the businesswomen who overcame the stringent conditions and managed to start their own businesses in 1980s included Ms Kubi (Chaza) Indi of Kubi Cosmetics, Ms Nancy Saungweme of Aloe Enterprises who started off in waterproofing, Ms Peters, Ms Grace Muradzikwa, Leonardo Simbai Mafara, Ms Violet Madzimbamuto and Dr Jane Mutasa.

Because women were arbitrary refused loans in banks, they eventually set up several women in business cluster organisations meant to pool resources, share ideas and network on business ideas.

One of the organisations that responded to the growing need of women for economic emancipation was the Indigenous Business Women's Organisation, which was founded by the likes of Dr Mutasa, the late Ms Mercy Zinyama, Ms Kubi Indi and Ms Florence Mashaire.

With only a membership of 150 women at its inception 1994, the organisation lobbied and advocated for the integration of women in the mainstream economy, and fought for the elimination of discriminatory practices against women in business.

These women economic empowerment organisations, with the assistance of the Ministry of Women's Affair's, Gender and Community Development, were instrumental in lobbying for progressive legislation and programmes for the economic advancement of women.

Some of the empowerment vehicles that have seen the ascendancy of women include the Government's Broad Based Women's Economic Empowerment Framework launched by President Robert Mugabe three years ago.

The Broad Based Women's Economic Empowerment Framework has inspired Government's efforts to achieve gender equality and women's empowerment.

The framework's strategic interventions include enhancing women's business ownership or entrepreneurship and facilitating women's participation in key economic decisions.

"We credit women's success to viable economic empowerment policies that have been pushing for women's integration in all sectors of the economy, and in some instances pushing for quota allocations, where female take up is low," said Ms Stabile Mangwengwende the executive director of Professional Women Executive and Business-women's Forum, Proweb.

Ms Mangwengwende said the environment was now conducive for women to enter into business although there were a number of challenges that Government would need to address to level the playing field.

"Access to cheap finance remains a challenge to most women since they do not have collateral security.

"Women who are already in business are also saying they are failing to lay their hands on mega deals in energy, mining and infrastructure because of the 'boys club syndrome' where men organise deals for themselves, side-lining women," she said.

Ms Mangwengwende, however, said the future of women in business in Zimbabwe and the region looks bright following the African Union's commitment to take up economic empowerment of women as part of its agenda.

The African Union, which is being chaired by President Mugabe, has since declared 2015 as a year for women empowerment.

• Zimbabwe