MANTATE MLOTSHWA

Mantate Mlotshwa, fierce young activist for freedom and democracy in Zimbabwe

Name: Mantate Mlotshwa

Organisation: Magamba Network

Location: Harare, Zimbabwe

Links: Twitter @MantateQueeneth 

Instagram @the_radical_mantate 

Blog: radites.com

Overview:  Mantate Mlotshwa is a 26-year old Zimbabwean woman who is passionate about the meaningful participation of women and youth in democracy and governance processes. She has been listed in the 100 Most Influential Zimbabweans Under 40 list by the Zimbabwe Leadership Institute, as well as the Gumiguru 40 Under 30 Emerging Leaders of 2017. Mantate Mlotshwa is a passionate advocate of gender equality, equal rights and civil liberties. As both a writer and vocal campaigner, she has earned a reputation for speaking her mind and promoting positive messages of liberation and emancipation in Zimbabwe and beyond.

Conflict: Zimbabwe faces a myriad of challenges, made worse by the coronavirus pandemic. The economy remains largely weak, with a majority of its citizens drenched in poverty despite continued state reports of surpluses and a booming economy. With the Covid-19 induced restrictions, a lot of the informal activity which defines the major part of the economy was shot to a halt, and has only recently begun to transition back into life, albeit at a slow pace and with other challenges. Above these bread and butter issues, corruption remains a large stain on the country’s potential to grow beyond its current economic state. Protests over the high rates of corruption have seen a lot of activists, journalists and politicians arrested and punished. The high levels of food insecurity, and the declining real wages amid high inflation, highlight the risk of wider political instability.  For Mantate, political representation for women is a key issue, with female members of parliament often disrespected, bullied and harassed at various levels of the political process. The poor behaviour towards women in parliament is also reflected in public and private spaces. She also sees high youth unemployment as a major challenge as youth potential goes undeveloped. Increasing political intolerance of dissent is also making it harder for young people to mobilise. A pattern of abductions, arrests and abuse of those who speak up scares most to silence, deterred from questioning or criticising the government both online and offline. She also worries about the digital exclusion of many Zimbabweans who cannot afford internet connections or data, and who are increasingly unable to participate in education and the economy, especially since Covid-19.

Action & Results:  Mantate holds a dizzying array of positions in Zimbabwean civil society organisations, making her presence known and ‘taking up space’ not just nationally, but in the regions and across the African continent. She often speaks as a panellist on global platforms including TV and radio, and is also a published author, blogger and entrepreneur. Some of her current roles include: 

• Programme Lead for Arts4Change, a youth-led, youth-focused programme that combines creative activism, popular culture and digital media as a means of triggering dialogue around accountability to inspire a youth-led grassroots accountability movement and support advocacy around critical governance issues. Arts4Change focuses on using music, film, satire and comedy to promote dialogue on social justice, accountability and integrity.

• Founder and CEO of the creative fashion brand U Motle, premised on affirming and curating African culture and women through fashion.

• Coordinator at LeadGirls2School, a girls education and mentorship initiative supporting rural girls in different provinces. 

• Producer and co-host of The Resistance Bureau show, a programme that convenes leading African voices on issues of democracy, human rights and the struggle for freedom in Africa.

• Board Member of the Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (ZIMCODD) and the African Women Leaders Network Youth Caucus Committee for Zimbabwe. 

• Published co-author of Turquoise Dreams, an anthology of short stories by Zimbabwean women, and writer of a fiction blog called Radites, tackling social issues that stir dialogue and encourage people to share their stories to help others better experience or avoid similar situations.

• Every year on her birthday, she coordinates a fundraising initiative to address one challenge faced by her community. Her signature project was the 2020 Water My Roots campaign which saw her drilling a borehole in her city of birth. 

Journey:  She was brought up by her grandmother, in Nkulumane, Bulawayo, surrounded by a community with many single mothers and young girls often dropping out of school after getting pregnant. She saw this pattern repeating itself with each generation. Talking of her grandmother she says, ‘When she was raising us she would give us an opportunity to speak and be ourselves. In some households young girls weren’t given a voice, but she would allow us to speak. She taught me how to be a strong woman.’ From a young age she recounts peers looking up to her, or asking her for help in one way or another, and older people always telling her she set an example for their children. These early experiences profoundly affected her outlook. She remembers wondering about why women were restricted to certain roles from a young age, and thinking about girls doing something different, not only being mothers. She attended Eveline High School who nurtured her writing and reading skills, and is grateful to her teachers who believed in her & who she describes as being ‘like my mothers’ and who contributed to who she is now. During secondary school Mantate got involved in girls’ empowerment campaigns which cemented her interest in youth and female political participation. She studied BSc Psychology at the University of Zimbabwe, and is considering continuing her studies to Masters level and eventually doing a PhD exploring the psychological transitions of citizens from conflict moments to democracy.  During her studies she also took part in The Campaign School at Yale University and the Women in Leadership Summer School by Zimbabwe Leadership Institute, as well as many other international training platforms.

Mantate sees herself as a voice of the voiceless, and strives to be a role model to young girls from across the continent. She wants them to see themselves reflected in her and be inspired to follow their dreams. Mantate has amazing drive and energy, she is constantly pushing herself to be noticed, and take up space, to make a difference and progress.  She says, ‘One of the key lessons that I share with young people is that you do not have to be the best in an industry to thrive. It is about what you put in, there are so many young women that are potentially better than me in terms of the way that I speak, in terms of the way that I write and in all things that I am doing, but the difference between me and them is that I put in the work… I push myself.’

Support:  On a personal level, Mantate is optimistic about the future. She sees great potential for being a role model for female leadership, not just in Zimbabwe but on regional platforms, and even at a continental level. She is keen to work with institutions such as the UN and the African Union.  She wants to use her skills in writing and speaking out, share her journey and meet women and help them tell their stories. Mantate is also passionate about girls’ education, last year raising funds for Lead Girls to School to pay the school fees of 26 girls. She would appreciate support to grow capacity through mentorship, to ensure a sustainable way of supporting rural girls.