Fiona Muchembere

In the journey of my life I’ve encountered many hurdles that have left me stronger. They were actually steps up the ladder. I have managed to be where I am now mainly because of my education. To me education is a weapon against poverty. I grew up in a society where it is said that the only course a woman would pass is marriage. I come from a family where there is no one qualified for any professional job, where there is no one who has been to university. I am actually their pioneer. And in a community where there is no lawyer, I have introduced diversity. Parents, not only mine, have come to appreciate that it is important to educate a girl-child.

“We are young women who have defied the odds and are going to achieve even more.” Fiona MuchembereIn my practice there are fifteen lawyers, thirteen of them are men. There is no difference – we are all qualified by the same degree. My clients are mainly banks and companies and usually these sectors are highly patriarchal. I prove to them that I can advise and guide them and they respect me and my ideas. The legal profession is now more gender sensitive. In the Supreme Court, there are three female judges out of a bench of seven. You find that lawyers prefer to appear before a female judge because they listen, they get down to the facts of the matter, they have more patience.

I would like to become an advocate for law reform. There are still areas in which I feel the law is repressive to women. The Births and Deaths Registry, for example, does not allow a woman to get a certificate for her own child. In law, she is allowed. In practice, she cannot. The registrars will say, ‘Go and get your husband or a letter from him.’ I want to work for a situation in which everyone is able to claim their right through the law.

My grandmother laid the foundation for me. She gave me the picture of a good mother. When I was in Form One, I told her, ‘I don’t like maths. It’s very difficult.’ She told me, ‘You don’t say that. You say you are going to excel.’ And I did.

Fiona Muchembere, now a qualified lawyer in Zimbabwe.