INFLUENTIAL POLITICAL POWER COUPLES

Back to my usual commentary of the unfair and volatile relationship that exists between female politicians and their male counterparts, I want to comment on a phenomenon that I came across recently. I thought that the issue of power couples was something for celebrities. Even in politics there are these so called power couples. In reading this article about Zimbabwe power couples however a pattern emerged. according to some of these articles, either the women would not have made it in politics had it been not for their husbands or they are ticking time bombs. 

first on my list is President Robert Mugabe and Doctor Grace Mugabe.They are Zimbabwe's first family and a really influential couple. However whenever there is talk of these two, Grace receives the most backlash and bad publicity.  There was an article by the Financial Gazette on 29 January 2015. the article described Grace's coming into politics as a devastating tornado and that she is responsible for one of the most memorable episodes in Zimbabwean political history. Memorable in this context is not used in a nice way. What the article fails to mention is the fact that she has empowered many women in Zimbabwe or that her Husband and his ministers have brought Zimbabwe to its knees all on their own. She receives the backlash because she is woman trying to enter a world that is mostly male dominated. 

Next on my list is Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Auxilia Mnangagwa.The same article is written in such a way presents Auxilia as dependent on her husband for her political success. the article goes to say that before Emmerson became the vice president,.Auxilia was virtually unknown. Soon after he became vice president, things began to happen for her, so the article says. However this is not true, she was a politician before he became the vice president, however focus is not on her own abilities as a female politician.  Focus is on the fact that she is married to a vice President who allowed her to become a shining star in the political arena because he can.

Last on my list today is the Standard Newspaper's favourite couple, Doctor Joice Mujuru and the late Solomon Mujuru. The Standard Newspaper carried an article on 12 April 2014 about Mujuru apologizing for helping Mugabe ruin Zimbabwe. There was mention of her being widow to Solomon Mujuru, which was irrelevant to the story. With Joice Mujuru, the media has made it a point to remind readers, each time they can, that her power rests in her late husband without him she would not have come as far as she has. This is however not true.