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Zvamaida Murwira Senior Reporter
The Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC) is set to hold an Annual National Gender Forum next month aimed at brainstorming gender mainstreaming in politics using the just ended 23 August harmonised elections as a case study.
Zimbabwe has taken several policy measures to enhance gender empowerment, including reserving 60 seats for women in Parliament and directing that one third of councillors in local authorities be reserved for women.
In a Statutory Instrument of a Government Gazette, ZGC chairperson Mrs Margaret Mukahanana-Sangarwe invited all stakeholders interested in gender empowerment and equity to attend the indaba.
“It is hereby notified that, in terms of section 8 of the Zimbabwe Gender Commission Act [Chapter 10:31], the proposed date and venue for the Annual National Gender Forum is the 31st of October, 2023, in Bindura, Mashonaland Central Province,” reads the notice.
“The proposed agenda for the forum is ‘Gender, politics and decision making: Taking stock of 2023 harmonised election and mapping way forward to 2028’.
“Further to the above notice, an invitation is hereby given to stakeholder organisations and individuals with an interest in gender equality, gender equity and gender mainstreaming to submit suggestions of topics to be included in the agenda for discussion at the Forum. Any person who wishes to make any suggestions in relation to the above should submit them, in writing, to the chief executive officer of the Zimbabwe Gender Commission at the following address: First Floor, Pax House, 89, Kwame Nkrumah Avenue, Harare, by the 30th September, 2023, or email to: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>.”
The Zimbabwe Gender Commission Act provides that the organisation shall annually convene a gender forum to be notified not less than three months beforehand in the Gazette to discuss any issue or issues of concern related to its constitutional and statutory functions.
“The Commission shall annually, on a date and at a venue to be notified not less than three months beforehand in the Gazette, organise, convene and host a Gender Forum to discuss any issue or issues of concern related to its constitutional and statutory functions. Provided that the venue of the Gender Forum shall rotate annually through every provincial centre of Zimbabwe in such order as the Commission shall determine,” reads the Act.
“The notice of intention to organise, convene and host the Forum shall include the following- (a) the proposed venue or venues and the proposed date or dates for the Forum: and the proposed agenda for the Forum, if any; and an invitation to relevant stakeholder organisations and other persons interested in gender equality, gender equity or gender mainstreaming issues to submit- (i) suggestions for topics to be included in the agenda for discussion at the Forum; and (ii) lists of proposed participants at the Forum, specifying for each proposed participant what credentials he or she possesses that may be of benefit to the Forum’s deliberations.”
The Second Republic led by President Mnangagwa has since extended the 10-year constitutional provision for women’s quota where 60 seats have been reserved for women.
There has also been a constitutional provision that came into effect in the last harmonised election where at least one third of seats have been reserved for women in each local authority.
In the latest Cabinet appointment, six women were appointed as Cabinet ministers out of 26, whilst six others were appointed as deputy ministers and five women as Ministers of State for the Provinces, where they are matched by five men.
The Ministers include Defence Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, Women’s Affairs, Community and Small to Medium Enterprise Development Minister Monica Mutsvangwa, Industry and Commerce Minister Sithembiso Nyoni, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Kirsty Coventry, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Barbra Rwodzi, and Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services Minister Tatenda Mavetera.
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