Independence brought gender equality
Mrs Mary Mupasiri (50), award winning business woman and founder of Envoge Events, never thought she would one day own a business in Zimbabwe let alone be one of the prominent business women in the Country.
She never thought she would one day become her own boss after working as a slave in the white owned businesses for a long time.
“I never in my wildest dreams imagined myself owning a business. It was a far fetched dream that was only reserved for the white minority. But after the country got its independence, the landscape totally changed. Our dreams of becoming business owners were achievable and we only had to work towards that,” said Mrs Mupasiri.
“I remember the day vividly as we stormed the streets in celebration of our independence. Everyone was in a jovial mood, and I knew without a doubt that things were going to change for the better.
“That moment I was convinced that the Government was going to create a conducive environment for us to start and grow our businesses. The ushering in of the new dispensation under the leadership of President Emmerson Mnangagwa has made things much easier for us. He has given us the courage to soldier on through his mantra “Zimbabwe is Open for Business”.
Mrs Mupasiri encouraged other women from across the country to start their own businesses.
“I want to encourage women that it is never too late to start their own businesses, no matter how risky they think it is. Let’s not wait for the Government to create jobs for us and for our children. Let’s take the lead and create employment for ourselves and our children,” she said.
Mrs Mupasiri applauded the Government for working tirelessly to promote gender equality in businesses.
“Long back, businesses were mostly owned by men. But now the Government is doing a very good job through women empowerment projects spearheaded by the Ministry of Women Affairs. This is in line with the Government’s policy of striking gender balance in businesses. There are also quite a number of women who are holding influential positions like Justice Priscilla Chigumba, the Zec chairpesron, Cde Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, the chairperson of Zanu-PF, and Cde Monica Mutsvangwa the Minister of State for Manicaland.”
She said the country made giant strides towards women’s rights in 2013 when it cemented women’s rights in the new Constitution.
“The new Constitution provides for gender equality and it is aligned with international and regional women’s rights and that is a step in the right direction for Zimbabwe.
“It is also exciting to note that the new Constitution also has facilitated the increase of women’s