Summit 2016-Mohlakeng Council COE

Mohlakeng council is found in the Maseru district, but in Mazenod area just along the main road to the Moshoeshoe 1 Airport.

Mohlakeng city council is still in progress in trying to formulate a gender policy by gathering some community inputs towards it. At present, there are fourteen councillors with eight being men and six being women. The council management, then, consists of 43% women. The mayor of the town is a man, the deputy being a woman.

The council has three committees and one of those is being chaired by a woman. Mohlakeng city council holds public gatherings through its social service committee disseminating issues of gender sensitivity in all life activities within its electoral divisions. Some other departments have not been engaged due to but constraints. Approximately 26%-50% women participate in public consultations. The council meets with support groups to get information about kinds of people they are looking after them, and that becomes a platform for women to participate.

The council has a cumulative of 57% women that it has employed. It can be stated that the council is gender sensitive because the monthly earnings do not differ for men and women, depending on the kind of job both genders do. Two youth representatives have been employed by the council, as well as one person with disability. The percentage of women in management is currently at 67%.

Women in the council are being given maternity leave for three months and they get paid during the time they are on leave. Men are also taken into consideration because they also get one month for paternity leave. The council does not have a flex time and does not issue out family responsibility day. To add, there has been no policy that has been implemented against sexual harassment. It could be because there has been no sexual harassment cases that have been reported to the council. The council’s facilities are not disability friendly.

As part of the Council’s local economic development plan, it has stalled markets for both women and men. Currently, there are no entrepreneurship schemes that benefit women, men, PWD and youth. The council is still working towards establishing such schemes by trying to inform the community about the importance of entrepreneurship schemes.

The Mohlakeng Council has no policy yet on climate change within the council. Again the council is working with the support groups to bring forth the statistics of different categories of people they are taking care of. However, twelve men and fourteen women are employed in climate change projects.

Women, men, PWD, and youth are involved in the planning, management, and maintenance of water and sanitation. There is a total of 2 water and sanitation committees. There is only 1 woman and 1 man working on the committees. There is only one water and sanitation committee that is chaired by a woman.

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