Page 69 - CIWA AR25

View from the Field: Pinimidzai Sithole

It was also by chance that Sithole ended up working in South Africa. This is compounded when the men gather later at a bar to discuss
Presenting a paper on human rights and water at an international issues and make decisions. Social norms preclude her from joining
conference in Johannesburg, Sithole was approached by a staffer men there, thus effectively excluding her from decision making. “It

at the South African office of the IWMI. He began working there prejudices women who can’t be in those places,” he says.
as a graduate research assistant while also pursuing his PhD in
Public Administration with a focus on water governance from the Sithole said that MCWE training conducted by CIWA’s GESI
University of the Western Cape. specialist “has equipped me with better tools on how to
handle these situations.” He realized that he was being “too
Today, Sithole is a Governance and Social Specialist at the Global confrontational” and becoming frustrated with the men he
Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWPSA), where he focuses on wanted to educate, “which could create massive pushback and
equality, women’s economic empowerment, and social development direct vitriol toward the woman” he was trying to support.
and inclusion. As a gender specialist, he works to ensure that
GESI is integrated into projects executed by the GWPSA across Now, he says, “I take them aside and say, ‘it is an expectation
transboundary basins shared by riparian Member States in the of your government’s gender policy and the donors who are
SADC region. He conducts gender and socioeconomic analyzes and supporting your project that we treat all participants equally and
stakeholder mapping and prioritization. He also does gap analyses fairly.’ They know that partner support is crucial and following
for governance and institutional arrangements and works with government policy mandates is an expectation. That is the
stakeholders who have been disadvantaged—including women, poor leverage I use. . . . And, in some instances, I might ask the male
men, and people with disabilities—to build their technical and social aggressor if he is willing to apologize to the woman and assure
capacity to work together effectively and increase the likelihood that her that he will do better.”
institutions will consider them for decision-making positions.
He also asks the women: “How can we best support you so that
you don’t fear expressing your views? We are here for you. Your
Fighting gender barriers with
voice matters.”
support from the MCWE
“The work that the Male Champions are doing is pivotal,” Sithole
Sithole is keenly aware of how women are excluded from
decision-making spaces because of gender norms. says. “Having Male Champions reach out to other men and create
awareness and a sense of urgency has been very powerful. I tell
them, would we want these barriers to affect our daughters, to
“Let’s say you are a woman who is a manager at a catchment agency
who speaks up at a forum attended mostly by men,” he says. First, affect our mothers, to affect our sisters? When we personalize it
her voice and views aren’t respected: “She doesn’t receive equal like that, other men can see why it is important to join the MCWE.
recognition. When a man repeats the same point, you hear clapping.” Then we can rally together for a greater cause.”

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