Summit 2016: Mazowe Rural District Council COE

The Mazowe Rural District is in the Mashonaland Central Province of Zimbabwe.

The council has crafted a number of gender-related policies to guide its work through implementing a gender policy and an action plan. There are 34 male councillors and 8 female councillors. The council is working to increase the proportion of female councillors from 19%. The committee Chairperson is a lady and she represents the social services committee in council. The finance chairperson is disabled and presides over all financial issues in the council.

Youths are also incorporated in various committees e.g Human Resources Development Committee and in Social Services committee as well as in the Area Committees.

The Mazowe Rural District has 11 committees which are chaired by 11 women. However, there are more men than women on the Mazowe Rural District. Young people, people with disabilities and community members participate in community-based planning projects and meetings. Between 51 and 75 percent, women participate in public consultations which include Budget Consultation meetings and Waste Management meetings.

Of the total workforce, the council employs 28 percent women, 19 percent youth and 0 percent people with disabilities. Women are only 14 of management. Accounting and revenue officers include women. The Council amended the recruitment, selection and promotion policies to increase the proportion of women in the workforce.

There are provisions for maternity leave but none for paternity leave. The council does not have a sexual harassment policy. Disability-friendly toilets are available at the council as well as ramps to facilitate accessibility for people with disabilities.

As part of the Council’s local economic development plan, it provides 20 tables at Zvipani market to women, people with disabilities and young people. In addition, the Council coordinates loans and provides livestock in the form of goats and hens. Hens were distributed to 135 beneficiaries, 49 women and 86 men.

The council does not have a climate change policy but utilizes the national policy as a guide. The extent to which the policy has been canvassed by the council thus far includes the establishment of seven committees for waste management in Dandamera and Tsungubvi. The council also has an established nursery plantation being run by and managed by a woman.

The council has further adopted and implemented policies, programmes, services to enhance gender and youth sensitive, appropriate and affordable quality health care, including sexual and reproductive health and rights. They are responsible for providing health care through the 14 clinics they oversee. These clinics are accessible to many people and provide SRHR services that are not exclusionary or biased to especially young women and people with disabilities.

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