The Sunday Mail
“So, of all the freedoms Zimbabwean women are denied, the mini skirt sits at the apex? The mini skirt? Even when they smell between the legs because they have no water, the mini skirt even when the cheap Chinese perfumes are sour on their dusty skins? Indeed, the mini skirt, when they give birth in dangerous hospital wards.”
These were the angry words my disgusted friend Tapfumanei Chirikure spewed on Facebook soon after learning that some women led or mobilised by Katswe Sistahood, had taken to the streets to demonstrate against alleged harassment of women in mini skirts from touts, kombi crews and men at public bus termini in Harare.
Mainini could not attend the demonstration. I could not find anything wearable for the occasion in my Victorian wardrobe!
Besides, just like my friend Chirikure, I was not sure whether it was appropriate to put the mini skirt at the apex of all things that bother me as a woman.
Yes, women have every right to dress as they like. They can even walk around naked, to use my friend Chirikure’s words, and I would not give a hoot about it.
But to take to the streets and demonstrate at this stage about the harassment from touts and their kombi crews colleagues, uummm, no!
I am not sure how the demonstration to wear mini skirts and all those lewd pieces of clothing like butt riders got to become a priority, when our rape statistics are going up at this alarming rate.
And lo! The women/girls were not brave enough to wear the mini skirts.
So many of them wore knee-length dresses and skirts. Some even had long denims!
The decision by the sisters to demonstrate had left me pink faced; note not red-faced.
Yes, pink faced because a few weeks ago I had the opportunity to see a nine-month-old baby with horrific vaginal wounds after she was allegedly raped by an uncle.
I had never been this angry in my whole adult life, I wanted to strangle the beast who had done this to the cute chubby baby. That left me red-faced!
The President of this Republic, Baba vaMugabe, First Lady Dr Mugabe, Vice President Dr Mujuru, Police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri, and many other people have made noises about the soaring reported rape cases.
To make matters worse, not only are the statistics going up, even the violence accompanying such cases has also gone up, according to a medical expert dealing with rape at Harare Central Hospital.
Many rape victims, said the doctor, would never be able to conceive.
Then came the news that Katswe Sistahood had organised a march/demonstration against touts, kombi crews and men who harass women who prefer to cover only the essentials.
I sort of expected the Katswe Sistahood guys (meaning women) to, maybe, call for a march or demonstration against the critical potable water and electricity shortages Zimbabwe is facing.
If only they had called for a march or demonstration against the violent rape our babies, girls and women are subjected to, I would have worn my Victorian outfits and joined them.
If only they had called for a march or demonstration against the violent rape our sons, husbands or brothers are subjected to, I would definitely have worn my Victorian outfits and joined them. I hope the sisters have heard my groans! Next time, you get the timing right and make sure you have the right size of a mini skirt! While I make efforts to get the correct mini skirt size in preparation for a real mini skirt march, roll them to [email protected].
