Tsvangirai MDC suspends MP over sexist remarks and violence

By Violet Gonda
16 October 2006

Timothy Mubhawu, the MDC Member of Parliament for Mabvuku, has been suspended from the Tsvangirai MDC as a result of chauvinistic statements he made in parliament two weeks ago. MDC officials told us that the suspension was not only about the primitive comments he made in parliament but also to do with the violence that broke out in his constituency in July.

A commission of inquiry investigating the violence noted that there are serious conflicts in Mabvuku between the MP and the District. The MDC leadership has now dissolved the entire district and Mubhawu has been barred from interfering with party structures there.

Mubhawu also sparked a furore when he said it is against God's principles that men and women are equal,” during a parliamentary debate on the Domestic Violence Bill.

The Women’s Coalition held street protests against the MP and the Women’s Assembly from the Tsvangirai MDC found Mubhawu’s statements “quite outrageous” and at cross purpose with the party policy on the bill.

The party’s Secretary General Tendai Biti, Chief Whip Innocent Gonese and Deputy President Thokozani Khupe had spoken in parliament supporting the bill which they said was long overdue. But Mubhawu said; "I stand here representing God Almighty. Women are not equal to men. It is a dangerous Bill and let it be known in Zimbabwe that the right, privilege and status of men is gone. I stand here alone and say this bill should not be passed in this House. It is a diabolic Bill. Our powers are being usurped in daylight in this House."

Pastor Lawrence Berejena from the Pentecostal Assemblies Church in Harare disagreed with Mubhawu’s statements saying; “ God sees us as human beings, as his children. When the bible talks of uniqueness it doesn’t talk about only men being unique. I am the head of my wife but it doesn’t mean we are not equal in the eyes of God.”

The opposition party said Mubhawu’s statement was completely at variance with party policy and a very serious breech of discipline on a key issue. The party’s supreme decision making body, the National Council, made a unanimous decision to suspend the Mabvuku MP from all positions in the party and to put his case to the National Disciplinary Committee for consideration. It’s reported that he may well be expelled from the Party as a result.

Meanwhile there has been mixed reactions to this saga. One Zimbabwean man speaking on condition of anonymity said; “ Mubhawu should have been censured by his party but to suspend him pending expulsion is outrageous. This is against the bedrock of democratic debate because it is tantamount to discrimination against men’s rights to articulate themselves and over protection for women.”

He added: “This is not victory for women and by suspending him it’s also against democracy. If women want to debate this issue they must debate it in public because the majority of the people who suspended Mubhawu in the National Council are men.”

Another man asked; “What happens to a person’s right to free speech and freedom of participation? I don’t support his statement, it was stupid and ignorant, it was illogical and has no basis in fact or in scripture and that alone should tell you that it should have been debated publicly in parliament.”

But other people who spoke to SW Radio Africa felt Mabhuwu’s statements were extreme and that he should be heavily censured for it. One SWRA listener said it is as serious as saying, “Blacks are not equal to whites.”

Another observer noted: “It serves him right. You can’t say that kind of thing these days, that women are inferior to men. This is the worst thing that can ever be said about women especially as women have played a frontline role to get the MDC where it is today.”

Analysts said even though the pro-democracy movement is fighting against the Robert Mugabe regime they should also fight against all forms of discrimination which includes racism and sexism.