This Saturday will see the Action for Southern Africa, Amicus and the TUC “Zimbabwe Solidarity Conference” take place at TUC Congress House where the focus of trade unionists with be on the plight of those in Zimbabwe – an incredibly dangerous place to be a democrat and trade unionist.
In recent weeks, a very special guest to the UK, the inspirational Thabitha Khumalo, came to raise awareness of the every day issues of being a women under Magarbe’s evil regime. Thabitha, who appeared on This Morning and Radio 4’s Women’s Hour while on a speaker tour, was here promoting the campaign she is spear heading as a leader of the Zimbabwean Congress of Trade Unions that Action for Southern Africa, Amicus, the NUS Women’s Campaign and Labour Students are all supporting – Dignity!Period all about giving the women of Zimbabwe access to sanitary protection that has been prohibited by the policies and economics pursued by the Zimbabwean President.
Speaking at the Launch of the campaign as few weeks ago Thabitha Khumalo said,
Ordinary women cannot afford sanitary wear, we are using old pieces of cloth or newspapers. Consequently, we're suffering the loss of our dignity and serious infections, in some cases leading to infertility. Many women are facing violence from their husbands who believe these infections to be sexually transmitted.
I was fortunate enough to meet Thabitha when picking her up to drive her to one of the speaking events – which went down a storm as normal. While returning her to the station where she was heading directly for Heathrow I asked if you she would be ok on her return – she replied that she had to fly via South Africa to call ahead to the Congress’ lawyer to check whether there was a warrant for her arrest, before calmly reassuring all of us in the car, that even if they did arrest her they wouldn’t kill her because she was too famous!
Saying good-bye, only after being with this woman for less than an hour, brought a tear to the eye and filled me with the most overwhelming feeling of powerlessness as she walked off to contemplate her fate. Thankfully she let us know that she has returned home ok, but the fight for Zimbabwe women continues, getting no easier.
For more information see: http://www.actsa.org/Get_involved/zimbabwe_sanitary_campaign.htm and for attendance to the conference click here: http://www.tuc.org.uk/international/tuc-12543-f0.cfm.
Make sure you MP is doing something about it and signing Early day Motion (EDM) 862.
Thabitha Khumalo is the most courageous women I’ve ever had the privilege to meet. Her sheer determination to get this issue onto the international agenda, without fear of the repercussions that she will inevitably face, should be an inspiration to us all. Women in Zimbabwe face the most horrific daily conditions and the most horrific daily choices- they are force to choose between feeding their families and keeping their dignity.
Zimbabwe is a country in economic crisis and it is the women who are at the brunt of the suffering again. The Zimbabwean government’s extortionate tax on sanitary products is unfounded, unfair and unjust. No woman should ever have her dignity stripped from her in this way. I fully support the Dignity! Period. campaign and honestly believe that we all can play a part in raising awareness and funds for this incredibly important battle.
‘We will win this fight to save Zimbabwe, we need your support to empower us to fight with dignity.’ Thabitha Khumalo
Let’s take this opportunity, let’s empower the women of Zimbabwe and let’s help restore their dignity.
Posted by: Kiran Mahil | Friday, November 03, 2006 at 10:01 AM