Zimbabwe trade unionist wins UK “Women of the Year” award

By Violet Gonda
17 October 2006

Thabitha Khumalo, the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions 2 nd Vice President was one of the recipients of the Women of the Year Award. She won the Window to the World Award sponsored by Pilkington plc in the United Kingdom. She was among 4 recipients of the annual award by the Women of the Year organisation, which recognises women who offer true inspiration, compassion and who strive to make the world a better place.

The trade unionist has been arrested and beaten up several times by state security agents in her quest to fight for better standard of living for Zimbabweans.

This year she embarked on a campaign called “The Dignity Period Campaign” to fight for the basic female human right to have access to sanitary protection. Several celebrities and organisations in the UK helped fundraise and at least 2 million products were shipped to Zimbabwe to be distributed.

Sponsors said: “This award is a salute to a woman whose work and courage, in often dangerous or intimidating circumstances, has opened all our eyes to a world we otherwise would not have understood.”

Kathryn Llewellyn, Action for Southern Africa - Head of Campaign said; “Thabitha has been working with Action for Southern Africa on the Dignity Period Campaign and obviously Thabitha, as a Zimbabwe trade unionist, has been going through a very difficult time… through her activism. It’s a combination of the work that the campaign has done along with a recognition of the struggles that Tabitha & the ZCTU have had in trying to get the international community to listen to the problems that Zimbabweans have, particularly with this issue of the lack of sanitary products.”

It’s reported that as a result of this awareness campaign, Action for Southern Africa has teamed up with the ZCTU and a Zimbabwean manufacturing company to supply and distribute the sanitary products to the most vulnerable areas and schools in the country.

Thabitha's mission is to continue campaigning and bringing the plight of women into the international forum. Life expectancy of women in Zimbabwe is 34 and is the lowest in the world. Due to Zimbabwe’s economic collapse the majority of women are no longer able to afford sanitary pads, and have to resort to the unhealthy use of newspapers, rags or even leaves.

Lorraine Clinton, Director of Architecture & Glazing from Pilkington says, "Thabitha's courage and determination to bring the lack of a basic human right to the world's attention is truly admirable. Thabitha's resolution to fight for the rights of Zimbabwean women in the face of imprisonment and intimidation shows remarkable strength of character".

UK cancer sufferer Jane Tomlinson MBE, who has overcome her illness to raise more than £1 million for charity, was among the women honoured in the Women Of The Year Awards. They received their awards at a lunch in London attended by 400 women, on Monday.