Suburban
Diana Nherera Suburban Reporter
Local Government and Public Works Minister July Moyo says there is need to relook at the provincial and administrative boundaries, which will impact on the proposed 30 percent women councillors quota.
Speaking at a two day Women in Local Government Forum Strategy meeting on the 30 percent Local Government quota, Minister Moyo told urban and rural councillors that there is need to understand how the law will be crafted.
“We are here to implement what you got from your President in Victoria Falls and the first implementation is to understand how the law will be crafted.
“Let me tell you the processes that are to take place this year and next year and how it is going to impact on what you are going to have as an output as your one third (women’s councillors quota).
“The first thing is we have to relook at all our boundaries, provincial boundaries, we have to relook at them because when we did the new boundaries in 1993 to 1995, we were now constrained because of farming communities.
“Most of the farmers made us to change our boundaries.
If there was a boundary which cut through the commercial farming community, the farming community would say we want to be in one area together with other farmers and be able to cut the boundaries in order to accommodate that.
“So that also cut through what is the boundaries of chiefs and chiefs are now finding themselves that they are in one province and administering their people in another province, that we have to correct,” he said.
Last year, the Zimbabwe Local Government Association women councillors’ indaba successfully lobbied President Mnangagwa to have 30 percent of council wards reserved for women in future elections.
Minister Moyo said there is need to look at the administrative boundaries of the 72 districts.
He urged councillors to continue to work with the Ministry of Gender.
“The Ministry of Gender is really our leader on this. We are recipients.
“When we get a huge number of women, the pride must be with the Minister of Gender because she is then pushing the agenda and also when in Parliament, they are also the champions either as leaders of their own political parties or as women,” said Minister Moyo.
He said President Emmerson Mnangagwa is very clear about women representation.
“Where you need people to be appointed, and he has to appoint, even on boards, if you go without women, you are sent back.
“The President says no community should be left behind, no village should be left behind, no individual should be left behind particularly in the rural areas, that means a lot.
“Even in the urban areas, we know what it means when it comes to women,” said Minister Moyo.
He called for the involvement of young women so that they know there is a job in local government.
President of the Senate Mabel Chinomona encouraged sitting women councillors to keep working hard in their wards so that the electorate re-elects them.
“This is how you are going to reach the 50/50 because once we go for the extra 14 or so, I think we are not doing justice to ourselves.
“We are going to help others to go and work in the other wards so that we add our numbers then in addition to that one which is going to come, the third, I think we will get there soon, so I think we need to work very hard,” she said.
She shared her journey in Parliament up until she was nominated President of the Senate.
“I had to make sure I worked with women, and I work with everyone in the constituency so that I don’t lose. So I think it’s good for us to keep the wards we have in the pocket not to go and start again to compete with those who have lost other seats.
“This is where we bring in our technocrats as women.
“They chair committees like finance and so forth so I think this is the time we will be able to lead the rural district councils or the urban district councils,” she said.
Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Minister Sithembiso Nyoni urged female councillors to make use of the Zimbabwe Gender Commission, which offers a mentorship and training programme for women.
“Please make use of them. Let’s protect our constituencies but from now, let’s take what the Minister (of Local Government) has said about going to young women and making sure that those wards with men, we take them over because the end is 50/50 and not 30 percent.
“So we will reach the 50 by holding onto what you have and adding more within the elected councillors plus the 30 percent so we all wish you well,” she said.
