This article discusses the efficacy of the “women as strategic partners in peacebuilding” program, under the broader overarching Building Resilience, Inclusiveness, Social Cohesion and Healing Project, which is a response to the gendered conflicts and violence caused by the presence of artisanal mining in two wards of Insiza District, Matebeleland South in Zimbabwe. The intervention was premised on strengthening women’s capacity to create safe platforms for inclusive dialogue, consensus-building and decision making to address conflicts and creating a conducive environment for collaboration and trust, to enhance social cohesion and build a more peaceful society. Peace committees (PCs) established by Emthonjeni Women’s Forum (EWF) are the main vehicle communities use to mitigate the violence and conflicts experienced in their villages. It was found that these village peace committees, under the guidance of ward peace committees, which are led and composed only of women, have brought some transformation to the previously tense situations in the communities. Women play a significant role in building peace in these wards and their leadership appears to be widely accepted by the community at large. Stakeholders such as Government entities—the District Development Coordinator, Zimbabwe Republic Police, Ministry of Women and Youth Affairs, and the traditional leaders all indicated their satisfaction with the work of the peace committees.
Author Bio(s)
Dumisani Maqeda Ngwenya is the co-founder of Grace To Heal, a peacebuilding and community healing faith-based organization working in Matebeleland and has over 20 years’ experience working on conflict transformation and community development. He is also a founder of the Applied Conflict Transformation Studies (MScACTPB), an action research based Master of Science program registered with the Zimbabwe Council for High Education and affiliated with the Catholic University of Zimbabwe. He views himself as a pracademic, a practitioner first and an academic second, and holds a doctoral degree from the Durban University of Technology. His thesis was titled “Healing the wounds of Gukurahundi: an action research project in Zimbabwe”. His research interests include, historic trauma and memory, transgenerational transmission of trauma, peacebuilding and mental health psychosocial support, and effects of organized violence on communities. He has authored several journal articles and book chapters and has spoken at local and international conferences. He is a senior lecturer at Lupane State University in the Peace and Security program.
Sikhathele Matambo is the Executive Director for Emthonjeni Women’s Forum. She is results-oriented, enthusiastic, hands-on professional, widely active in women empowerment in Zimbabwe. She is an accomplished development practitioner with more than 15 years’ experience in the developmental sector with a focus on women’s empowerment, gender, gender equality and equity. She has a strong background in preventive and responsive measures to gender-based violence, women’s rights advocacy, policy development, advocacy, research, and training of service providers on women empowerment and rights. She is a holder of a Master’s Degree in Gender and Policy Studies and her dissertation focused on the participationof women councilors in local governance in Umguza District. She recently spearheaded research on technical facilitated gender- based violence or online gender-based violence.
Keywords
peacebuilding, peace committee, violence, conflict, artisanal mining, women
Recommended Citation
Ngwenya, Dumisani Maqeda and Sikhathele Mathambo
(2025)
"Women as Strategic Partners in Peacebuilding and Social Cohesion in Rural- Based Mining Areas: The Case of Wards 1 and 2 Insiza District, Matebeleland South in Zimbabwe,"
Peace and Conflict Studies: Vol. 32:
No.
2, Article 1.
Available at:
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/pcs/vol32/iss2/1
