Summit 2018 – Murewa Rural District Council COE

Murewa is situated, 75 kilometres northeast from the capital of Harare. Murewa Centre is the business hub of the inhabitants through their close proximity to Harare means they also render services to the capital, particularly vegetables. The Local authority is quite unique as it is one of a very few which has a stakeholder coordinated gender committee in place.

Murewa Rural District Council has a gender policy that incorporates the Sustainable Development Goal targets. The council has proved to be one of the most gender-sensitive councils in the country as witnessed by the initiatives the council has taken to mainstream gender in their institution. The council has 30 councillors (24 male councillors and 6 female). Both the chairperson ad deputy chairperson of the council are male. Murewa Rural District Council has nine standing committees, and two are chaired by women. The council has a junior council which is composed of more boys than girls. In Murewa young people, people with disabilities and women in the community participate mostly in pre-budget consultative meetings unlike in previous years when the council had not created the platform for their participation. Between 25 and 50 percent, women participate in these consultations and meetings.

Murewa has a total workforce of 33 employees, of whom only 8 are women. Women constitute only 23% of management. Murewa has 4 women working in non-traditional areas of decision making with 3 in the finance department and 1 in the Engineering department. Zimbabwe by law prescribes a paid maternity leave of three months thus Murewa provisions for it. However, there is no paternity leave though the council has a facility for family responsibility days wherein employees are given special leave days to be with their families. The council has a sexual harassment policy which states that anyone who has found sexually harassing another person is liable to a verbal or written warning, adverse performance evaluation, reduction in wages, transfer to another department, demotion, suspension or dismissal depending on the gravity and extent of the harassment. Murewa has disability-friendly access to the main council toilets, front office entrance ramps and public toilets to cater for people with disabilities.

Murewa Rural District Council allocates a substantial budget to gender-related projects, these amounts have increased from 2016 to 2017.

Murewa Rural District Council has an HIV and AIDS policy in place which is monitored through the council’s Social Services Committee. Murewa RDC keeps sex-disaggregated data on land. Council has managed to allocate land to a total of 12200 people for various purposes (8500 men and 3 700 women). There is an adopted Climate change policy which has been canvassed through the involvement of women, men, people living with disability and youths. Council for the past 5 years embarked on an ambitious afforestation drive for communities throughout the district. Motivated by the massive deforestation occurring possibly triggered by population increase, unfavourable economic conditions and tobacco curing among other cause variables.

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