Zimbabwe finally has it’s one and only female presidential candidate after The Electoral Court granted the leader of the United Zimbabwe Alliance (UZA), Elisabeth Valerio permission to contest the poll after the Nomination Court previously threw out her papers for submitting them late.
She becomes the sole presidential candidate in the country’s August 23 election after her presidential fee payment to Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) was accepted as valid by the courts.
Elisabeth Valerio has always had a mind for business and politics. Stemming from her roots, her mother who is a descended of the Mugabe Chieftainship of Masvingo, was the first woman in history to challenge the power of an African President.
She did her tertiary education in the United States of America and began her career as a biochemist before moving to Hwange, where she has spent almost a decade honouring a promise she made to her mother who, while on her death bed, asked that she look after a herd of elephants in Dete.
During her time in Hwange, Elisabeth established Gobelo, a business focused on research and development of natural and indigenous consumer products. With her husband she also built Gwango, a tourism destination at the edge of Hwange National Park, with guest rooms, conference facilities, restaurants and a BaNambya Cultural Exhibit.
In addition to promoting the tourism sector in Zimbabwe, Elisabeth devotes her time and resources to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programmes, creating jobs and improving access to quality education in African communities.
She is the founder of the Entrepreneurial & Leadership Initiative for Sustainability in Africa (ELISA) supporting Africa focused entrepreneurs via an online web portal and annual summit.
As President of UZA, she envisions a society which benefits every man, woman and child, one which supports innovation and economic growth by celebrating the gifts of its citizens.
In an interview, Elisabeth said she is very excited that her name will be added on the ballot and that the people of Zimbabwe should not just hope for change in Zimbabwe, but vote for it.
Keep up the good work
Sure we need women who are prepared to contribute in Nation Building