Vimbabi Kapurura
Story of Vimbai Kapurura sharing her story of breaking barriers, challenging norms and embracing the power of women’s leadership.
Leadership is not about waiting for permission, it is about finding the courage to lead. For me, this realization came when I saw countless women waiting for their voices to be heard, for safety and for inclusion. I saw the fire in their eyes, the determination in their hearts and the resilience in their spirits. This moment sparked a journey of empowerment.
My name is Vimbai Kapurura, Founder and Director of Women Unlimited Eswatini, an organization rooted in the belief that women’s voices are not just needed in politics they are non-negotiable. We exist to ensure that women, especially those in vulnerable and marginalized communities, have the tools, spaces and power to lead, not just in parliaments, but also in peace processes, family foundations, climate action and economic development.
I carry this work with conviction because I have lived it. I have served as the National Coordinator for ITC-SheTrades in Eswatini, amplifying women-led businesses and driving sustainable trade solutions. I am a recipient of the SheRoe Award by Standard Bank Eswatini, honored for championing women’s empowerment and I have received certificates from the World Bank Group for my expert contributions to Women, Business and the Law (2021-2025).
I have co-authored the Berlin Declaration on Women, Peace and Security and I have been accredited to attend CHOGM as a leader in civil society. I have stood with law enforcement in our campaign to end GBV, helped mobilize youth through environmental activism and launched the National Waste Indaba, bringing over 300 stakeholders together to reshape Eswatini’s waste management future.
I have walked this journey in a country where women’s political participation is still emerging from the shadows of patriarchy. I have felt the sting of exclusion, the subtle violence of being overlooked, underestimated, or told to wait. I have faced the doubts, digital harassment, and emotional toll of leadership as a woman who chooses to lead boldly. But I have also seen the fire. I have seen rural women organize and create solutions in the face of adversity. I have listened to high school girls dreaming of climate-smart futures and I have watched our organization grow from a whisper of a vision to a national voice shaping policies and partnerships. This work is not easy, but it is urgent! Violence against women in politics is not just physical it is also digital systemic and psychological.
It hides behind mockery and just jokes. It lives in trolling, erasure, gatekeeping, and the exhaustion that comes with being the first or the only. And still we rise, because when women are politically present, societies are more peaceful, inclusive and just. We do not just fill seats, we shape futures, so as we continue this work here is my quiet conviction to the woman who has been told her voice is too much, know that it matters. To the girl who has been taught to shrink, know that you belong in every room.
To those in power, lasting peace and progress will only be possible when women are meaningfully included. Let us build spaces that honor the power of women’s participation, not just in politics, but for peace, purpose and prosperity.
#End VAWP #TakeItDown #TakeItDown #SpeakOut #SupportVAWPSurvivors