Breaking: Stop the Presses.
We have been lucky enough to catch Dr Oxilla Mnangagwa, rehearsing her speech that will be delivered at the Flair Summit on 17-18th June 2025, at the Leonardo Royal Hotel in London, England
This is what she had to say at a typical hospital ward in Zimbabwe:
Speech by Her Excellency, Dr. Oxilla Mnangagwa, First Lady of Zimbabwe, at the FLAIR SUMMIT: Empowering Women, Impact & Resilience London, June 2025
"Esteemed guests, distinguished delegates, and champions of women’s empowerment, it is with great pride that I stand before you today at the FLAIR SUMMIT to share Zimbabwe’s remarkable strides in uplifting women and transforming maternal healthcare. Our nation, under the visionary leadership of my beloved husband, President Emmerson Mnangagwa, is a beacon of progress, a shining example of resilience and empowerment. Or so I was meant to say. Allow me to speak plainly, for the truth has a way of slipping through the cracks, even in the most polished of scripts."
"When I was invited to lecture on “Empowering Women, Impact & Resilience,” I thought it fitting to reflect on the reality faced by Zimbabwean women, particularly in maternal healthcare. You see, in Zimbabwe, we boast of progress, yet our maternity wards tell a different story. Our maternal mortality ratio, as of recent estimates, hovers around 462 deaths per 100,000 live births. That’s not a statistic to celebrate—it’s a tragedy. For every 100,000 women who dare to bring life into this world, nearly 500 will not survive to see their child grow. Compare this to Western Europe’s mere 5 deaths per 100,000, and you begin to see the chasm we face."
"Our healthcare system, once a jewel in Africa’s crown, is now a shadow of its former self. Hospitals like Parirenyatwa and Mpilo, our largest, operate with outdated equipment and chronic shortages. Radiotherapy machines for cancer patients are broken, surgical tools are relics, and entire wards lie abandoned because nothing works. In maternity units, women arrive hoping for care, only to find no beds, no drugs, and sometimes no staff. At Harare’s biggest hospital, there’s a single maternity theatre—built in 1977, before our independence—serving a population that’s doubled since then. Every year, 2,500 women die giving birth, not because childbirth is inherently deadly, but because we’ve failed to provide the basics: theatres, midwives, medicines."
"Let me share a truth that stings. Pregnant women in Zimbabwe often avoid public health facilities, choosing home births with untrained attendants. Why? Because hospitals are underfunded, understaffed, and unaffordable. Cultural practices and high costs drive women away, leaving them vulnerable to obstetric fistula—a devastating injury that leaves women leaking urine or faeces, shunned by their communities. The World Health Organization calls it “the most devastating birth injury,” yet in Zimbabwe, we barely talk about it, let alone treat it. Women suffer in silence, their dignity stripped by a system that’s too broken to care."
"And what of the broader treatment of women? In Zimbabwe, gender inequities are woven into the fabric of daily life. Men make most household decisions, including those about reproductive health. Women often need permission to seek care, and when they do, they face disrespect and abuse from healthcare providers. A 2019 study in eastern Zimbabwe found women reporting verbal abuse, neglect, and even physical mistreatment in maternity clinics. The White Ribbon Alliance has warned that such experiences push women to deliver at home, unassisted, risking their lives and their babies’. Our laws, too, betray women. Abortion is restricted except in extreme cases, yet unsafe abortions account for 5.8% of maternal deaths. Meanwhile, 40% of women seeking post-abortion care arrive with severe complications because access to safe, legal options is a fantasy."
"I could speak of programs like the Urban Voucher Program, which has helped 80,000 women access antenatal care and enabled 35,000 safe deliveries in underserved areas. I could mention the training of Village Health Workers or the adoption of results-based financing to improve care quality. But these are drops in an ocean of need. The reality is that our healthcare system is in intensive care, gutted by corruption, mismanagement, and a brain drain that sees our doctors and nurses flee to countries where they can earn a living wage. The elites, myself included, fly to South Africa or Dubai for treatment, while ordinary women die in under-equipped clinics or on the floors of their homes."
"Empowerment? Resilience? These are words we sprinkle like confetti, but they ring hollow when women must walk miles to reach a clinic, only to find it closed or staffed by overworked, underpaid workers. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, lockdowns and fear of infection slashed maternity service use, and maternal deaths spiked. Even now, with the virus less of a threat, the scars remain—fewer antenatal visits, more home births, more avoidable deaths."
"So, here I stand, meant to inspire you with tales of progress, but the truth is far less flattering. Zimbabwe’s women are resilient, yes, but they shouldn’t have to be. They deserve hospitals that function, doctors who stay, and a society that values their lives beyond rhetoric. They deserve to give birth without gambling with their lives."
clears throat, shuffles papers
"Oh, dear me! I am dreadfully sorry, but I appear to have picked up the wrong speech notes! These must belong to some radical whistleblower, not the First Lady of Zimbabwe! Please, disregard everything I’ve said. Let us instead toast to our unshakable progress and my husband’s impeccable leadership. Thank you, and good night!"
Signed,
Dr. Oxilla Mnangagwa
Limp Lady of Zimbabwe
