2018 Harmonized Elections and Women’s Lack of Voice in Zimbabwe: How Can Women Build Capacity?

Women have always actively participated in politics globally, in southern Africa and in Zimbabwe. However, the Zimbabwean society has been hesitant to support females who choose to participate in politics. The Zimbabwean society has been judgmental and has not taken kindly to such ambition. Starting with family, friends and the immediate community, barbed comments and murmurings have been passed each time a woman demonstrated interest in politics. Even fellow women have not spared their fellow women in terms of passing derogatory and discouraging comments. What is documented in this chapter is a demonstration of an experience of a female candidate in the 2018 harmonized Zimbabwean elections. The last part of the chapter attempts to map out strategies towards capacity building for women candidates.