Summit 2018 – Rusape Town Council COE
Date: July 11, 2018
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Rusape Town is situated in Manicaland, sharing the same territory with Makoni Rural District Council. It is known for its branding strategies which they are looking for investment through the use of digital media to advertise the town. The town is also actively promoting Local Economic Development. More details can be found on the council website.
The council has a gender policy that is functional. They also have a number of policies that guide their operations vis-à-vis gender and service provision. Currently, there are 18 councillors (8 male councillors and 2 female). The 2018 elections will be a platform through which the proportion of female councillors may be increased from the current 20%. Rusape Town has four committees, and only one is chaired by a woman. Council has a junior council that is composed of more girls than boys whose leader is also female.
In Rusape young people, people with disabilities and women in the community participate mostly in participate freely in consultative meetings, i.e, budget, ward or review meetings. In most consultative meetings, women attendance is usually higher than that of men. Between 76-100%, women participate in public consultations.
Rusape has a total workforce of 179 (137 men; 42 women). There are no women in the management team at Rusape. Despite this the council however has women working in non-traditional areas with a Systems Administrator, Roads Supervisor and Environmental Health Officer in these posts. Council has moved in to realign its recruitment policy so that jobs are created on an equal basis with men.
Zimbabwe by law prescribes maternity leave thus Rusape provisions for it. The council also prescribes to paternity leave of 1 month. The council’s Human Resources Department handles cases of Sexual harassment in the absence of a Sexual Harassment policy in council. The council has ensured Disability-friendly access to its buildings by constructing ramps to the council min office.
Rusape Town allocates a substantial budget to gender-related projects, these amounts have increased from 2016 to 2017.
| Category | Budget 2016 | Budget 2017 |
| Resources allocated to gender policy process and action planning | $7 000 | $3 000 |
| Resources allocated to promoting gender equality in decision-making and public participation | $6 000 | $2 000 |
| Resources allocated to promoting gender equality/family friendly/ youth and disability friendly policies and practices | $3 000 | $3 000 |
| Resources allocated to gender-responsive local economic development | $618 000 | $307 700 |
| Resources allocated to promoting gender/youth/PWD responsive projects on climate change | $32 000 | $27 000 |
| Resources allocated to promoting gender/ youth and disability friendly SRHR, HIV and AIDS programmes | $25 000 | $18 000 |
| Resources allocated to ending gender violence | $12 000 | $18 000 |
| Resources allocated to visibility for the Council’s Gender Action Plan | $5 000 | $5 000 |
| Resources allocated to Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning for the Council’s Gender Action Plan | $8 000 | $9 000 |
Rusape has one of the best initiative in local economic development which has seen the council partnering with a
women in brick moulding team made up of women from within the council who provides bricks for building any council projects. This has seen members of this group able to sustain their living.
Click here to read more about Rusape Town.
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