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Stephen Mpofu
IN parts of the global village configured by this pen with our motherland included and where male chauvinism anchored by primitive traditional customs marginalise some members of the female gender to perpetual battles with the broom and the dish towel in the house and with the hoe against courtyard lawn a manifestation of God’s grace to marginalised members of His beloved creation calls for a cold glass of water to cool down anxieties, as this pen believes it is, then what exactly is it?

This Saturday’s commentary celebrates the European Investment Bank (EIB Global), in partnership with Stanbic Bank Zimbabwe, for launching a 20 million Euro credit line. This initiative aims to provide long-term loans with favourable terms to small and medium enterprises, with a particular focus on those owned or managed by women.

Consider, for a moment, the young Zimbabwean women who, alongside their male counterparts, braved perilous conditions during the liberation struggle.

They faced snakes, mosquitoes, cold, and hunger, fighting against the oppressive Rhodesian regime. Their victory ushered in freedom, peace, and the economic and social development that our Government champions under the banner of self-reliance: “Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabanikazi balo/nyika inovakwa nevene vayo/a country is built by its own people.”

Given that women run more than half of our country’s SMEs, the EIB Global credit line is a timely and vital intervention.

This is particularly true when we acknowledge the First Lady, Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa’s tireless advocacy for women’s empowerment, which directly contributes to our nation’s progress.

First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa

It is no exaggeration to say that numerous small-scale industries are struggling or on the verge of collapse due to a lack of financial support. Therefore, the EIB Global credit line arrives as a much-needed lifeline.

It would be enlightening to conduct a thorough study to determine how many women who participated in the liberation war now enjoy the fruits of their labour through successful SMEs or larger businesses.

Similarly, it would be valuable to understand how many male liberation war veterans now occupy positions of power in thriving businesses, thanks to the independence they helped secure.

Furthermore, would it not be a fitting tribute to extend the EIB Global credit line to retired liberation fighters living in rural areas, enabling them to establish small-scale industries at growth points, benefiting the wider community in regions once dismissed as remote and insignificant?

Ultimately, whatever financial assistance is provided through the EIB Global credit line must prioritise the overall development of our nation. This will help us achieve parity with other countries and foster lasting peace and prosperity until the end of time.

In the final analysis, this pen will say what some people might describe as a journalistic or political audacity that, with our First Lady continuing to enjoy breaths in the space that she occupies and the one in which all of us occupy.

A large picture frame will be posted and with a beautiful photograph of Zimbabwe’s transformed female gender posted on it and causing the long tongues of international gallivanters to drool profusely and embarrassingly in theirs clothes’ prisons — YES, CLOTHES’ PRISONS.