Female councillors bemoan gender imbalances at local authorities

FEMALE RURAL DISTRICT COUNCILLORS HAVE BEMOANED GENDER IMBALANCES AT THE COUNTRY’S LOCAL AUTHORITIES SAYING IT IMPACTS NEGATIVELY ON DEALING WITH ISSUES AFFECTING WOMEN.

DURING THE INTERFACE WHICH WAS HELD IN BULAWAYO AND RAN UNDER THE THEME “CREATING A ROADMAP FOR EQUAL PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN RURAL LOCAL GOVERNANCE”, SENIOR FEMALE COUNCILORS AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES SHARED NOTES ON HOW THEY CAN EFFECTIVELY CONTRIBUTE TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL LOCAL AUTHORITIES.

DEPUTY MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT, PUBLIC WORKS AND NATIONAL HOUSING HONORABLE JENNIFER MHLANGA SAID THE RECENT DECLINE OF WOMEN REPRESENTATIVES IN RURAL LOCAL AUTHORITIES NEGATES THE IMPORTANT ROLE THEY HAVE TO PLAY ON ISSUES OF GOVERNANCE.

THE MINISTER OF WOMEN AFFAIRS, COMMUNITY, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES DEVELOPMENT DR SITHEMBISO NYONI WEIGHED IN SAYING WOMEN KNOW BETTER ON ISSUES TO DO WITH THE PROVISION OF BASIC SERVICES LIKE WATER, ELECTRICITY HENCE THE NEED TO DELIBERATELY IMPROVE THEIR PARTICIPATION.