The Young Women Christian Association (YWCA) on the Copperbelt has trained over 120 women in political leadership, electoral processes and decision making in an effort to prepare them for adoptions to stand as members of parliament and councilors in the 2021 general elections.
Speaking in an interview with ZANIS in Kitwe yesterday, YWCA Kitwe Copperbelt Province Coordinator Sharon Chisanga said the trained women are mainly from Kitwe and Kalulushi district and were drawn from all political parties.
Mrs Chisanga said the trained women were ready to take up leadership positions after intensive training stating that there will be no excuse for political parties not to adopt them for elections.
“The training was undertaken with an aim of increasing the number of women participating in politics and taking up leadership positions, so we expect political parties to adopt more women in their structures,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Association has threatened to de-campaign political parties that will not adopt women to contest as councilors and members of parliament in the 2021 general elections.
And Mrs Chisanga has bemoaned the materialistic campaigns being used by political parties where aspiring leaders use material things like money, Chitenge materials and food among others to entice voters.
She said this style of campaigning was not favourable for women as most of them cannot afford such materials yet they can make better leaders.
She however said that YWCA on the Copperbelt will work closely with all political parties to ensure that more women are adopted to stand in the 2021 general elections on the Copperbelt.
Zambia is also a signatory to the United Nations Charter that compels the country to have more women representations in decision making positions by the year 2030.
We need such civic education across the board. Zambian women are jealous of each other and that’s what they need to sort out first. Political popularity and campaigns have taken a new perspective. Every PF aspiring candidate on the Copperbelt has their own branded hearse and they jostle to buy food and coffin at every funeral. PF has now been reduced to a merchant of death. That’s not the kind of leadership we’re looking for