Chronicle Editor
Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Reporter
SOME ministers are violating the Constitution by sidelining women in the appointment of board members for parastatals.
This emerged during Parliament’s Liaison and Coordination Committee (LCC) Retreat session attended by Parliamentary committee chairpersons in Bulawayo from Friday to Sunday.
Section 17 of the Constitution compels the State to promote gender balance through promoting full participation of women in all spheres of the society.
It also demands that the State puts in place measures to address gender discrimination and imbalances informed by policy.
The supreme law of the land further states that all institutions and agencies of Government at every level must take practical measures to ensure that women have access to resources, including land, on the basis of equality with men.
Speaking at the retreat, Senate President Mabel Chinomona expressed concern that some members of the Executive were violating the country’s Constitution and disadvantaging women in their appointments.
Most of the country’s boards are male-dominated with only a few led by women.
Cde Chinomona, who is also patron of Zimbabwe Women’s Parliamentary Caucus said it was also disturbing that parliamentarians through their committees were not putting ministers to task for violating the country’s supreme law.
“I’m disappointed to note that while Section 17 obliges the State ‘to promote the full participation of women in all spheres of Zimbabwe society,’ ministers continue to appoint boards that do not respect the provisions of the Section 17 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe and yet we hardly hear ministers being summoned before the Portfolio Committee on Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development or the Thematic Committee on Gender and Development to explain why they are breaching such an important constitutional provision,” said Cde Chinomona.
She said the country will not achieve its developmental agenda if women are excluded from positions of power yet they constitute the majority in the country.
“The emancipation of women is not just a women’s issue but it is a development issue. We cannot achieve Vision 2030 if we leave out 52 percent of the population. It is my clarion call, therefore, for the relevant committees not to abdicate this very important duty which is critical to Zimbabwe’s economic development,” she said.
Cde Chinomona said Parliament must prove that it is not a toothless bulldog by holding the Executive to account through the system of checks and balances.
She said Parliament should use legal frameworks including Public Finance Management Act [Chapter 22:19] and the Privileges, Immunities and Power of Parliament Act [Chapter2:08] to demand accountability from the Executive.
“It is up to you honourable chairpersons, individually and collectively, to bare those fangs and make it known to the Executive that any deviant behaviour and you will not hesitate to bite without fear and without apology,” she said.
The Senate President called for unionism and cooperation from various Parliamentary Portfolio Committees as opposed to acting individually yet in pursuant of similar goals. — @nqotshili
Online Reporter