NewAfricanWoman Issue 35 - Flipbook - Page 23
I’m more than willing to defend my views and
my position on social-economic issues but
I ABSOLUTELY REFUSE
to be judged by what I wear.
assess for themselves whether we have
assets which are incapable of being explained. Due to the constant accusations
and suspicions of impropriety, transparency on wealth accumulation is a critical
tool in the identification of corruption but
also protection from false accusations.
Still on your business and the private sector industry, I’m sure you
probably read the African Development Bank’s report on representation of women, African women, in
boardrooms, how is the situation in
Namibia or with the companies that
you have worked for, are women still
breaking the so-called glass ceiling,
are we there and how do you just see
it in the context of the entire continent?
I was reading a report on female representation on the Boards of a Fortune
500 companies so its safe to say that the
lack of women in global boardrooms is
an issue. The corporate world is doing
an exceptionally poor job of advancing
women. The workplace is a reflection of
society, so I think the boardroom mirrors
societal realities. If your economy is run
by a particular demographic, that is the
same demographic you will find in the
boardroom representing their interests.
Gender inequality in boardrooms is a
manifestation of the exclusion of women
in our society. We must deal with this exclusion because it manifests itself socially,
politically and economically. You can’t
expect to politically exclude people and
not have that political exclusion manifest
itself in the economic world, so it’s a very
consistent pattern of our societies, so we
can’t just judge the corporate world, it’s
society as a whole which is on trial .
How do you deal with that issue
probably in your own company if it
exists? Or being the woman at the
top, do you gender-balance by practicing is it positive discrimination?
I don’t think that making an effort to
be inclusive and ensure that all citizens
are given fair opportunities can ever be
described with the word discrimination
attached to it as nobody is being discriminated against. If there are no women or
diversity in top management and there is
an insistence for a more diverse, integrated Board, I don’t think it is in any way
being unreasonable. Its not always easy
to convince all male Boards to diversify
their mix nor do they always listen but it
is important to consistently raise the issue
and propose suitable names.
Let’s talk more about politics. We are
hearing a lot of reports, true or not
true, but they are there regarding
the First Lady of Zimbabwe Madam
Grace Mugabe entering their political
mainstream. Do you hold any political ambitions and would you aspire
for political office at some time, may
be not now, but even in the future?
There should not be a problem with any
woman, whether a First Lady or not, who
aspires for political office. If that’s what
she wants, and she gets the necessary political support, then the discussion should
really be about credibility, capability and
competence. It is important to distinguish
the principle from the person because if
the world finds it okay for a former First
Lady in America to run for political office,
then its okay for any First Lady.
Do I have political aspirations? The
simple answer is no. I am not a politician.
Despite my lack of political interest or
inclination, I find myself being asked this
question a lot and I prefer to take it as a
compliment. I have indirect exposure to
the complexities of presidential life and I
don’t think that’s what I would want to do
with my time.
So after State House, definitely you
will go back into business?
That’s where I was, that’s my permanent.
This is temporary. It’s linked to my husband and his very, very specific political
background. He is a politician through
and through. I am not. So I am part of
the eco-system that supports a president.
I do not aspire to be a president after he
has left office.
You have a very busy lifestyle. How
do you sit down and unwind, be it a
spa, spiritually or anything – how do
you relax?
Not having time has been a feature of my
life for the past fifteen years. It’s not a new
thing. So from a beauty perspective there
are certain concessions I need to make. I
don’t have the time to maintain a proper
beauty regimen so hair, make-up, nails
and anything time consuming is difficult
for me. . That’s why I’m glad you didn’t
ask me any fashion related questions; I’m
generally open and I’m willing to speak
about anything except fashion. I refuse to
be judged on how I dress, or how I look,
as opposed to my views on a certain issue.
I’m more than willing to defend my views
and my position on social-economic issues but I absolutely refuse to be judged
by what I wear.
A powerful message loud and clear
and it embodies the New African
Woman ethos. But in your own
words can you describe a New African woman.
The new African woman isn’t one person.
You have African women who are rurally
based, you have African woman who are
disabled, who come from different ethnic
groupings, who have different sexual
orientation from you and I. So it’s not one
grouping of the same people, we come
from different regions; there’s Frenchspeaking Africa, there’s AnglophoneAfrica, there’s Lusophone Africa. So the
new African woman is really a mixture of
so many different influences but I think
what defines her is her ability to not only
survive but also to thrive in a political and
social set-up that is not equipped for her
to survive and to thrive.
F E B / M A R 2 0 16 N AW /
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