Early in November 1976, during the negotiations on "Rhodesia" in Geneva, some women from the ISIS collective met with two women from one of the Zimbabwean delegations taking part in these talks. They were Joyce Mutasa, representative of the ANC - Zimbabwe (African National Council) in the Nordic countries and Regina Muzanenhamo, working with the ANC in Zambia. The two women explained the difficulties they had in getting accepted as part of the delegation to Geneva: 

The men met and decided who would go - naturally, all men. So, as a gesture, they invited a couple of women as secretaries. Nothing daunted, the women met and demanded that they go because "we are the mothers of the children who are fighting in the bush".

"We are official delegates but we really had to push very hard to get this". Ms. Mutasa and Ms. Muzanenhamo continued, "The situation is very bad for women in Zimbabwe (and in the ANC). If you are elected to any post, the men frown and you have to be very ruthless with them. If you are too polite, they will always side - step you. Women are fighting very hard against tribal feudalism but men will always frown when there is a woman executive". 

There are ANC women's groups in several countries, but Ms. Mutasa and Ms. Muzanenhamo explained that as the ANC is a Zimbabwe-based movement, it is difficult to get information about how the central organization •coordinates with other support committees in various countries.

"We do not know specifically how the movement inside Zimbabwe coordinates with the international ANC, but in Zambia, for example, we get first-hand information about refugees in Mozambique. Similarly, we know there are groups of women in the ANC in Tanzania". 

'"Our group was formed last year. We are only in Lusaka, but we are trying to get in touch with others in other towns. The nucleus of the group is about 50".

The activities of the groups outside and inside Zimbabwe are mainly concerned with support for the guerrillas and refugees. Ms. Mutasa and Ms. Muzanenhamo were asked, "Is it difficult to get women to work for the liberation struggle? "

"Not at all. Actually they are the best at doling these things. They are the ones who encourage their sons and daughters to join the struggle. Sometimes we think it would be better if we were running the struggle. Even in the fighting, there are women there. The women that are not involved in the fighting are the ones feeding the guerrillas".

"The women in the towns are the ones collecting the money. They are organized. In Salisbury, there is a group, for example. The peasants have no money and no clothes so the women in the towns collect clothes and food".

The groups outside Zimbabwe do the same but find it more difficult because they themselves are refugees. 

"In our particular group in Zambia, whenever we have a meeting, we contribute something: money or clothes, whatever we can. There are times when we have got to have something like a jumble sale. Recently, we had a service and we sent a plate around. We had this service because of those 675 people killed in Mozambique. The women themselves decided to hold the memorial service and this is why we sent around a plate - to collect some money for those who were left. We find women will contribute whatever they can give to the struggle. But it is very difficult because Zambia is not our country". 

Despite their role in the struggle Zimbabwean women feel they are still oppressed.

"Black women are still suffering from both feudalism and colonialism. We are far from equal. We hope the revolution will help this but we are not yet liberated".

This shows itself in many ways "In the cities, for both black and white women there is a gap in salaries. But black women must give up their salaries to their husbands every month. There are some women who are beginning to say, I will keep the monthly salary, but economically we are not independent". 

"Life in the cities is very expensive. Black women find work with the "missus" (white women) often for only $5 a month. Educated women arc either teachers or nurses. Women can teach at University but almost no women work in offices. You cannot get this training in Zimbabwe. In fact, there are some fields which Africans - men and women - are not supposed to study, for example the British Constitution or accounts. The places at University are restricted, too: about three-quarters of the places at the University of Rhodesia are allocated to whites". 

"Women in rural areas, they are much worse off. It is the husband who decides everything. The women in the rural areas spend the whole of their lives working in the fields. They do this together with their men and do not come to town to work. But the woman also does the cooking and looking after the children". 

"There are three kinds of legal marriage, but in all the man pays for the wife and thinks he has a possession. Everything belongs to him except the kitchen utensils and clothes. If I am divorced, the children will automatically belong to the husband and I must go back to my parents. When the husband dies, the relatives of the husband inherit everything". 

"There are still people who practise polygamy. The younger generation is reacting, but my mother will not. In the old days, it was an honour to have other women coming. In the towns, women really are fighting against this. In Zambia, people still have second wives without the first wife knowing. 1 find that many people do that".

"As for the future... there will be a slight change. The women will not be fighting a colonial system. We do not think there will be much change in the equal opportunity of jobs, for instance. We have got to fight for " that. In fact, we are going to have to continue the fight for a long time". 

"Finally, if you want to help us, you can come to Africa and visit the refugee camps. Then you can explain to Europeans for yourselves".