Africa-Press – Botswana. The former mayor of Francistown Ms Sylvia Muzila has called on women to celebrate and support other women who assume leadership positions.
Sharing her perspective on the topic: Women in Leadership positions and Family, during commemoration of International Women’s Day in Francistown on Saturday, Ms Muzila commended Ms Dinah Marathe for her groundbreaking achievements as the first woman to head both the Botswana Prison Service and the Botswana Police Service.
Ms Marathe was also the first female deputy commissioner of the Botswana Police Service – Operations, before she transferred to Botswana Prison Services as Commissioner.
Ms Muzila observed that the appointment of a new female commissioner of police showed that women could lead.
She emphasised the importance of supporting and encouraging women in their efforts to succeed and encouraged women to run for political office.
She said she was surprised that no women from Francistown were running for office in the upcoming general elections and urged them to step up and run for positions of power.
She also praised Minister of Finance, Ms Peggy Serame for her dedication to women’s empowerment.
She explained that Ms Serame championed several initiatives and policies aimed at supporting women in Botswana, including financial literacy programmes, business development grants and childcare subsidies.
Ms Muzila urged other women in positions of power to follow Ms Serame’s example and work to improve the lives of women in their communities.
The former mayor also spoke against the practice of ‘small house’ relationships, which she said was a major factor in the high rate of divorce and was harmful to women and families.
In this regard, Ms Muzila urged women to avoid participating in this practice and to work towards creating more stable and loving relationships.
She said International Women’s Day should be used as an effective tool in bringing about change.
“While it is a day to celebrate women’s achievements and raise awareness about issues affecting women, it should also reflect on underlying problems,” she added.
The panelists also held discussion on the topic: To build a woman is to build a family, and Donga Customary Court President, Kgosi Lerato Mogopodi observed that the institution of marriage was under threat due to a number of factors.
She said one of the reasons was the increasing urbanisation of Botswana, which had led to a disconnect between the traditional customs of rural communities and the realities of city life.
She said another primary reason was the increasing number of single-parent households, which he attributed to a variety of social and economic factors.
She also noted the impact of the increasing number of couples cohabitating, which had resulted in fewer couples going through the customary marriage process.
Another panelist, Francistown District Commissioner Ms Chabongwa Matseka said marriage was not simply about physical intimacy, but rather about a commitment and covenant between two people.
Ms Matseka stressed that marriage should be seen as a partnership of equals, where both partners bring something valuable to the relationship.
She encouraged women to consider all aspects of marriage, , when deciding to marry.
Ms Matseka explained that women in marriage should be respectful and supportive of their husbands, while also maintaining their rights and dignity.
“While they should strive to create a harmonious relationship, women should not allow themselves to be treated as inferior or abused.Their role in the marriage should be one of equality and mutual respect, in which both partners take responsibility for the success of the relationship,” she added.
The District Commissioner said women should advocate for a marriage in which the wife was not seen as inferior to her husband, but rather as an equal partner who should be treated with respect and care.
The objective of the day was to commemorate the achievements, efforts and struggles of women in the development of the country as well as to discuss the extent to which gender balance had been achieved between men and women.
The workshop, themed: Investing in Women: Accelerate Progress, brought together women from the 27 wards in Francistown.
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