Summit 2018- Masvingo City Council

Emely Pedzisai; Masvingo resident and beneficiary of the micro-credit finance scheme. Zimbabwe

Masvingo is situated in the Masvingo Province known for the historical monumental site Great Zimbabwe ruins also known as “Dzimba Dzemabwe” meaning houses of stone.

The City of Masvingo council has a gender policy. The council has 10 councillors, all of whom are male. Council has a junior council through which young people participate and air their concerns. The junior council is composed of more girls than boys and the mayor is female. In terms of participation of women, youth and the disabled the council sees them mostly at budget consultation and health club meetings where between 51 and 76 percent, women participate at these.

Masvingo has a total workforce of 517, and only 103 are women. In terms of decision making at managerial level women account for only 2 of the 11 managers. The City Treasurer and Chief internal Auditor are some of the women employed in non-traditional jobs in council. Zimbabwe by law prescribes for 3 months paid maternity leave thus Masvingo provisions for it. However, there is no paternity leave. The council has a draft sexual harassment policy, however in the interim the council makes use of its code of conduct to deal with cases of sexual harassment in the workplace.

Masvingo City Council’s budget allocations have reduced. See the 2016 and 2017 budget allocations below.

Masvingo City Council oversees the running of several institutions for disadvantaged people. There are two homes for the elderly, one children’s home, Jairos Jiri for people with disability and a home for the blind. These institutions were given land to grow crops for their livelihood. Once a year a grant is given to each group. Health practitioners visit and offer their services. Home visits are also made to homes of the terminally ill, though there has been a significant drop for the need of this service.

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