Letters to the editor: Misgovernance bleeding our nation

Letters
MNANGAGWA

THE current economic situation is not good for the people who will soon have no option, but  to take it upon themselves to effect change. The majority is so frustrated because of the deteriorating economic situation and misgovernance.

The Zanu PF government has dismally failed to manage the country where corruption, nepotism and lack of political will to solve the challenges facing the people is the order of the day.

As the situation stands, it is only a matter of time before people take to the streets to force President Emmerson Mnangagwa to rethink his strategies.

Mnangagwa should not turn a blind eye as if everything is normal.

Protests shall be the order of the day and will continue until such time that the people’s voices are heard. To make matters worse, Finance minister Mthuli Ncube has been telling the populace that the economy is on a rebound, yet the situation on the ground is showing the opposite where fuel prices have been wantonly hiked and basic commodities are now beyond the reach of many.

There shall  come a time when the citizenry will say enough is enough.

People cannot stomach any more beatings, harassment, torture and pain at the hands of this regime. The leaders must arrest all corrupt government officials.- Tafara Depa

Govt must recognise women’s contribution

ON September 27, 2022, the Women’s Academy for Leadership and Political Excellence (Walpe) with support from Oxfam held a breakfast meeting with 45 Members of Parliament (MPs) to present the 2023 National Gender Responsive Dummy Budget proposal.

The MPs were drawn from five portfolio committees, namely Finance and Economic Development, Health and Child Care, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Local Government, Rural and Urban Development and the women’s caucus.

A total of 27 female and 18 male MPs attended the discussion.

Other partners that attended included representatives from Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC), Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition and five local media houses.

The meeting enhanced knowledge and understanding of the importance of prioritising social service delivery in allocating funds in the national budget to allow women to take part in developmental processes.

It also opened the debate on unpaid care and domestic work (UCDW) so that policies and laws are enacted that emphasise its importance.

It is important to shift the public’s perception on UCDW so that it can be recognised, reduced, represented and redistributed.

During the breakfast meeting, the organisation put emphasis on water and sanitation, energy, education, health and women empowerment with focus on women in both rural and urban areas.

However, the organisation also stressed the need for government to recognise the contribution that women make in key areas of the economy such as land, taxation, mining and devolution.

The majority of the contributions made by the MPs indicated that prioritising social service delivery is critical to creating time for women to participate in leadership and community developmental processes.

MPs in attendance, including men, shared that UCDW, which is exacerbated by poor social service delivery, affects women and girls on a daily basis, resulting in their low participation in development work.

MPs such as Honourable Goodluck Kwaramba shared how she had taken the initiative further by engaging women community members to unpack UCDW and capture views from women in her community.

She shared that most women noted that UCDW affected their participation in community and leadership processes, as it takes up a lot of their time.

During the plenary discussions, there was a general agreement that UCDW must be recognised. Legislators such as Honourable Christopher Chingosho and Perseverance Zhou shared examples of health conditions that women develop due to the care work they do at home hence it must be recognised, reduced, represented and redistributed.- Walpe

 

Related Topics