Mahere vs Gappah: A feud with no winner

Heads Women Lose, Tails They Don't Win

Monica Cheru

Managing Editor

From the time when the social media war was going on, and now as the legal case progresses, I have repeatedly been asked to comment on the feud between Fadzayi Mahere and Pettina Gappah.

I have repeatedly declined because I have felt that the outcome of the case in inevitable: Heads women lose, tails they don’t win.

While Mahere has been awarded damages in court and is pursuing Gappah for compensation, in my opinion she is also ultimately a loser.

The high-profile case highlights the damage when women engage in public spats, particularly personal grievances are aired on social media and reduces brilliant women to a catfight over men.

Some have expressed the opinion that Gappah and Mahere should have slung it out in private, without resorting to the social media tiff that spawned the legal challenge.

But it is my submission that the nature of the dispute shines the spotlight on the elephant in the room that we must acknowledge: women’s negative roles in the search for equality.

Female-on-female aggression is a grossly under recognized form of gender-based violence that most feminists seem to want to sweep under the carpet.

Yet it manifests everywhere. Love rivals declaring all to be fair in love and war. Married women branding single women. Moral purists playing judge on the rest. In-laws in unending fights. Colleagues backbiting each other. Friends backstabbing each other.

As we approach the 16 Days of Activism Against GBV, this case reminds us that GBV should not be boxed as the violence men inflict upon women.

It is a many headed monster that regularly manifests in toxic, and damaging attacks by women against each other. It can also be women inciting violence by others against other women.

While Mahere has been deemed the victim by the courts in this particular case, she herself has created some posts which have resulted in denigration of fellow women.

One example that quickly comes to mind is her post when Tatenda Mavetera was appointed ICT Minister.

While Mahere herself did not say anything that can be construed as derogatory in a court of law, the same could not be said about the responses to the post.

This type of female on female detraction— largely unrecognized and often overlooked — erodes collective progress by shifting focus from the shared goals of empowerment to individual vendettas.

Female-on-female aggression, a form of psychological GBV, is a silent yet powerful deterrent to gender equality. Such actions colour the perception of women as being unfit for high office.

It is no wonder that female politicians in Zimbabwe largely remain as protégés of male patrons, rather than powerful individuals in their own right.

One cannot discuss this case without referring to the Grace Mugabe and Joyce Mujuru feud which led to the ouster of the latter from government.

While either of the woman could have been the president of Zimbabwe if they had found a way of standing together, today they are just other periphery figures praying for favour from the throne.

Let us broaden our understanding of GBV to include female-on-female violence and act to eradicate it.

Women need to rise above individual differences and recognise that every word and action is a plus or a minus in the fight for equality, equity and inclusion.

A more constructive approach to conflict resolution must be adopted by those in position of power and influence.

True empowerment starts with accountability, respect, and empathy among women themselves.

By addressing these internal conflicts, we can create a more united front against all forms of gender-based violence, promoting a society where women uplift and support one another, regardless of differences in outlook and beliefs.

In the end, the path to gender equality isn’t just about changing policies but must factor in breaking barriers within the female psyche.

In the words of the men captured on camera singing during the November 18, 2017 anti-Mugabe march repeatedly aired on CNN: “Haitongwe nehure!”

And as long as women insist on painting each other as whores by whatever name, they can forget about real power as they confine themselves to catfights by whatever name and on whatever platform.

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