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Bravo once more to President Sata for elevating yet another woman into a senior decision-making position! On 12 January 2012, Sata appointed Ms Catherine Makwala as the country’s first female Brigadier General in the Zambia National Service.
It looks like President Sata is very comfortable in promoting women in the security service; because this is now the fourth time that he has scored a first in promoting women in this sector: previously he made the following three landmark appointments:
He appointed Rosewin Wandi as the first female Anti-Corruption Commission Chief, taking over from a male, Colonel Godfrey Kayukwa while Stella Libongani became the first female Deputy Inspector-General of Police.
In the last week of October 2011, six police women were appointed as Police Provincial Commissioners, namely: Brenda Muntemba for Southern Province, Grace Chipaila for Eastern Province, Charity Kamanga for Lusaka Province, Mary Chikwanda for Northern Province, Joyce Kasosa for Luapula Province and Mary Tembo for Copperbelt Province.
However, we remain expectant that the President will also eventually recognise other professional skills and talents that Zambian women possess for him to deploy into all areas of public service for the advancement of both the women and the nation as a whole. Currently Sata has appointed very few women outside the security sector. For example two cabinet ministers out of 19, four deputies, one provincial minister, a handful on various commissions and technical committees and state prosecution to name a few.
Well, we remain expectant since there are more sequences of 90 days to come in the 5-year term of President Sata, in which to strike the 2008 SADC Gender Protocol gender equality quota of 5050 in the high level administrative and decision-making positions.
Aluta continua!
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