Judith Tobaiwa: I want to tackle Mashurugwi and child marriages in Kwekwe
Recently elected Kwekwe Central legislator Judith Tobaiwa says she is going to work hard to tackle issues of child marriages that are prevalent in her constituency.
Kwekwe Central is predominately a mining town with a lot of artisanal miners working in around the town.
The presence of artisanal miners is reportedly leading to an increase in issues of child marriages, as the miners are using money to entice the girls.
However, Tobaiwa who is the first female legislator to represent Kwekwe Central said she is going to prioritise issues of child marriages in Parliament.
She says she wants the girl child to value education more than marriage
‘’The first issue I want to deal with is the issue of child abuse that is happening in Kwekwe. Girls and women are being abused because of mining activities.
‘’If you look, a lot of children are entering marriage at an early age because they are being enticed by money from mining activities because they don’t have money to go to school, so they think the better option is to get married.
‘’So, the first thing I want to tackle is the issue of child marriages in Kwekwe so that at least all the kids know that education is important, especially to women and the girl child,’’ she said.
Zimbabwe’s 2013 constitution bans child marriages, and the government is also going to deal with the issue through the Marriages Bill which is awaiting the President’s signature.
The constitution and the Marriages Bill say only those who have reached the age of 18 years can found a family and that no one will be forced into marriage.
Tobaiwa to deal with mashurugwi
Honourable Tobaiwa also said she will try to deal with the issue of machete gangs who are popularly known as Mashurugwi who terrorise residents.
‘’My promise to the people of Kwekwe is that machete violence should stop because people in Kwekwe are living in fear of machetes because of the mining activities.
‘’So, I am going to push that the people of Kwekwe should live in peace because it’s currently difficult for people to move around freely without fearing violence from machetes,’’ she said.
The legislator also indicated that she will not be able to fulfill all her promises due to time, but she will do her best to ensure most of them are addressed.
Judith Tobaiwa: I want to tackle Mashurugwi and child marriages in Kwekwe
