InfocusNews 06 -10 Dec 2021
Sibanda. One of the affected residents Patricia Tshabalala said the water crisis keeps worsening and people are likely to die in numbers if council does not act quickly.
Diarrhoea outbreak affects 157, kills one
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NE person died of dehydration as a result of diarrhoea in Tshabalala this week as the city continues battling erratic water supplies which have left residents at risk of developing water borne diseases. This comes at a time when Bulawayo has been hit by a diarrhoea outbreak which affected 157 residents since the outbreak was first reported on November 28. The city is currently under a 72hour water shedding regime and during this time there is possible contamination and a risk of impurities entering the water pipelines during the water rationing exercise. Council Director of Health Services Dr Edwin Sibanda confirmed the death saying so far it is the only one that had been recorded facebook.com/wildtrustzim |
although there are claims more could have died as a result of the water crisis. He said as of Thursday, a cumulative total of 1093 diarrhea cases had been recorded in Bulawayo from different suburbs. “We have since collected 71 stool specimen in the city where cases had been detected and so far 15 water samples have been collected and results show that five of them are unsatisfactory. In the meantime, we are ensuring continuous uninterrupted water supply in the area, while the teams check on the water pipes supplying the area,” he said. “We are also intensifying attendance to sewer bursts, water bursts and water leaks in the area as a precautionary measure. We encourage residents to boil their water for potable use,” added Dr
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“We understand that someone else died after drinking council water and we cannot rule out the fact that the water crisis is putting our lives at risk. We understand that dam levels may not be favourable but council should be responsible and solve all issues so that we have normal access to water just like in the olden days,” she said. Tshabalala added that council was also failing to stick to publicised water rationing scheduling which made planning difficult especially for women who have a burden to ensure there is always water for household use. Another resident, Margaret Gwatidzo said the water crisis also makes residents prone to contracting Covid-19 as there is no guarantee for hand hygiene. “We struggle to have water most of the time and although council always promised that they are fixing broken pumps and pipes, there is no water most of the time. Now we are in the rainy season while Covid-19 cases are on the increase which leaves us at risk of dying of water borne diseases and Covid-19.”
InfocusNews livery challenges which include acute water shortages, poor public healthcare and poor public education. All these challenges increase the burden of unpaid care work for women as they are forced by the cultural and traditional norms to fill in the public service delivery gap,” added.
Citizens call for increase in devolution fund allocation
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evolution remains a key pillar in addressing public service delivery challenges as it avails funds to local authorities and should be prioritised in the national budget to foster development, an official has said. For 2022, Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube allocated ZWL$42.5 billion towards devolution. Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (ZIMCODD) Executive Director Janet Zhou said timely disbursements of the measly devolution funds are as important as the resources themselves given the highly inflationary environment that devolution is implemented under. She said safeguards need to be put in place to ensure that the funds are not abused and are used for their intended purposes in facebook.com/wildtrustzim |
line with the basic public finance management principles including transparency and accountability. “The national devolution allocated funds are not even double the 2022 budget proposal of Bulawayo City Council which is ZWL 26.7 billion. To this end, if the government is serious about attaining vision 2030, there is a need to re-orient security service allocations considering that Zimbabwe is not at war with any nation but is battling social and economic challenges and inequalities that are affecting millions of its citizens,” she said. According to Zhou, local authorities are the ones closer to the people and have the mandate to deliver basic public services to residents including basic healthcare, refuse collection, water and sanitation. “Currently women are faced with a number of public service de-
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“Local authorities have also been found wanting in the provision of conducive spaces for women to fully realise their potential in the informal sector like proper vending stalls despite them constituting the majority in the sector. Therefore, devolution funds have the potential to address some of these challenges faced by women but again there is need for fundamentals to be put in place if this potential is to be realised,” she added. She also said the expenditure of the devolution funds must be informed by the principles of gender responsive public expenditure for them to cater for the specific public service delivery needs of women. Aspiring councillor Nicola Dhliwayo from Entumbane suburb said devolution funds could foster development in Bulawayo as the city was struggling to keep up with the growing population. She said since the allocation was in local currency, the Government should disburse the funds timely before they are affected by inflation. “There is so much that needs to be done to improve service deliv-
InfocusNews ery in Bulawayo but less funds, which leaves residents especially women affected. Yes we acknowl-
edge the allocation but it will not cover every area that we wish to be addressed so that women can have
better lives especially water and then road infrastructure,” she said. who does not tolerate such,” said Ndlovu. Women in attendance related to some of these issues as they or people around them face these abuses day in day out in their operations. In giving recommendations women expressed that they should join hands and fight this new norm.
Informal traders unhappy over increase in sextortion in their trade
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ILD hosted a women’s round table with young women in different informal trades like vendors, bakers, and cross-border traders. These women shared their plight, highlighting the challenges they face in their operation, and the common challenge that was highlighted was that of sextortion. Speaking during the round table, Juliet Samson highlighted that they experience sextortion as female traders. “As a female informal trader, there are a lot of challenges we face in this patriarchal society we operate in. The COVID-19 period exposed a lot of anomalies that have been normalized by society. In order to cross the border, officials will often ask female informal traders facebook.com/wildtrustzim |
to pay bribes or pay in kind. If you don’t do those things, you won’t get the services. That is sextortion at its best and it’s sad that a lot of females are now conforming out of desperation,” said Samson. Commenting on this contribution, Jacqueline Ndlovu argued that it’s not only officials that do that but even bus drivers too. “To get any service, you would have to pay, and we, as females, are unfortunate because we are required pay in kind. Even the smallest thing you want, for example, for the bus driver to let you get in with your bag, he would ask you to pay using these taboo methods. I have stood my ground when faced with that situation, and they know me at the border as a woman
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“Alone I cannot, but together we can. Let’s fight this new cancer that is eating us and speak out against such abuses. We cannot normalise these violations as women. We should also think of our kids, who can also be victims of this system,” said Perseverance Nyathi. Sibusisiwe Dube closed the session by imploring women to stand up against gender-based violence in all its forms, not only during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence but throughout the whole year.
“Alone I cannot but together we can”
InfocusNews las’hlukumeza kangaka kwenzenjani” which was a call to men to explain why women are being abused. Through the poem, Lucia highlighted the rampant abuse that women face in different spheres and how this affects their participation in public processes. “Women are now living in fear because of the violence that happens every day. Women are killed, raped and beaten. Men should explain why they are exposing their fellow sisters and mothers to such uncalled-for pain. Women have lost their voices because of this violence. This violence needs to stop now!!” recited Lucia.
Women equipped with selfdefence skills
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omen’s Institute for Leadership Development facilitated a Self-Defence Master Class which was held on the 4th of December at Island Hospice and Health Care. The session was attended by 30 women from around Bulawayo. Among these women were Honourable Sichelesile Mahlangu, Member of Parliament for Pumula Constituency and ward 17 councillor Sikhululekile Moyo. As part of the annual commemoration of 16 Days Of Activism Against Gender Based Violence, the session was intended to build self-defence skills and self-esteem as well as to encourage physical facebook.com/wildtrustzim |
fitness. This was done in order to equip women with skills which they can employ in protecting themselves against physical violence and abuse. The first part of the session was Zumba dances in preparation for the self-defence class as a way of providing warm up for the participants. The second part of the activity saw Sensei Vusa leading self-defence lessons as he showed women a number of ways on how to get out of rape and physical harm situations. Lucia the poet was among the participants and she recited a Ndebele poem titled “Madoda khulumanini
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Honourable Sichelesile Mahlangu urged women to speak out against GBV so that they can get the help they need and also spread the word to their peers. Mahlangu highlighted that as the country is preparing for elections there is need to address GBV especially that which is targeted towards women in politics so that they can have better chances as candidates. Councillor Sikhululekile Moyo highlighted that many young women are being subjected to GBV and drugs, and emphasized on the need to end GBV as it is detrimental to their well-being. She also called for the protection of school going girls as child marriages are rampant and constantly violate their right to education as they end up dropping out of school.
InfocusNews They also recommended that everyone should acknowledge mental health and wellness issues at every space they are so as to make a difference in their homes, schools, and communities as well. “Seeking mental health care should be as routine as seeking treatment for high blood pressure, diabetes, or a heart condition,” said the facilitator as he was encouraging young people to seek help every time they feel like depressed.
Seek mental health assistance -Youths told
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ovid-19 has brought with it different shadow pandemics worldwide. Mental health problems are one of the challenges that are now affecting citizens’ daily life, relationships, and physical health. Looking after mental health can preserve a person’s ability to enjoy life. Doing this involves reaching a balance between life activities, responsibilities, and efforts to achieve psychological resilience.
It is against this background that Women’s Institute for Leadership Development in partnership with Danish Red Cross Youth, My Age Zimbabwe and Red Cross Zimbabwe conducted a mental health workshop which was meant to capacitate young people with knowledge about mental health. “Mental health refers to cognitive, behavioral, and emotional well-being. It is all about how people think, feel, and behave” said the
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facilitator, Onward Chironda. To kickstart the discussion, Chironda articulated that conditions such as stress, depression, and anxiety can all affect mental health and disrupt a person’s routine. “Having good mental health is about feeling positive about ourselves and others, being able to form good relationships, and having the resilience to overcome challenges,” said Mr. Chironda when he was emphasising on maintaining good mental health. Participants managed to articulate that we need to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health in all spaces be it workplace, churches and homes. “No one should suffer in silence with a condition that can be treated and even prevented in some cases” said one of the participants.
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Women motivated to break barriers after watching Hidden Figures
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espite annual commemorations on the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence, GBV is still rampant and limiting the quality of life of millions of women and girls around the world. To encourage widespread conversations on GBV, Women’s Institute for Leadership Development conducted a film screening which saw women and young women watching a film titled “Hidden Figures” which reveals the inspirational untold story of female African-American mathematicians working at NASA during the 1960s. These African-American female mathematicians served as the brains behind one of the greatest space orbit operations in U.S. history. These women were not
InfocusNews just doing something that no African-American women had done before, but something that no-one of any race or gender had done before. They were on the pioneering edge of science and technology, which was thrilling for them. They were called ‘computers’ during the time when a ‘computer’ was a job title then rather than an object on your desk. The film was inspirational considering that young women had a lot
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to learn from the screening. “Using their intellect, these ladies would regularly check each other’s work to ensure nothing left the office with an error. They worked collectively to advance each other as individuals performing calculations to further future space missions and continuing with important aviation research” said Nokuthaba Neshiri as she was alluding to the power of team work. “Advocate for yourself is one of the
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lessons that we learnt from this marvelous film” said Sarah as she referred to Katherine Johnson’s determination and talents which led her to be allowed to attend the briefings which were mainly attended by men. The film encouraged women to ceaselessly and fearlessly take up positions of leadership.
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n commemoration of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence,
WILD will be honoring 16 women who are doing exceptional work to uplift their communities and make
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life better for women and girls in Matabeleland South, Matabeleland North and Bulawayo
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The Legal Space
Statement on the sexual harassment judgment in the case of Rita M Mbatha v Farai B Zizhou & Another
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omen’s Institute for Leadership Development (WILD) commends the ground-breaking High Court ruling by Mafusire J in the case of Rita Marque Mbatha versus Farai Bwatikona Zizhou and Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries.This ground-breaking ruling has set a precedent in the adjudication of sexual harassment cases by advancing women’s rights on equality as set out in Sections 17, 56 and 80 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe. In the case, the court ruled in favour of the applicant, Rita M Mbatha by awarding her damages in the sum of USD 180 000 on a sexual harassment lawsuit after she had been in and out of arbitration processes for close to 2 decades. In the case, the plaintiff Rita M facebook.com/wildtrustzim |
Mbatha instituted proceedings on sexual harassment against Farai B Zizhou (the first defendant) and Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (the second defendant). In her application, the plaintiff outlined how she suffered sexual harassment at the work place which happened between 2002 to 2003 when she was employed by Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI). The plaintiff highlighted that sexual harassment of female employees at the said work place was rampant with the perpetrators getting away with it as a result of the power dynamics and weak complaints handling mechanisms. In her application, Mbatha submitted that Zizhou who was the Chief Executive Officer was the sole culprit and highlighted that during the 9 months of her employment with CZI she suffered
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sexual harassment in the form of inappropriate touching, unwelcome offensive jokes, receiving offensive telephone messages, receiving pornography on the computer and an attempt to kiss by force. As a result of the sexual harassment, the plaintiff suffered psychological damage and severe posttraumatic stress disorder. According to a medical report her pain was acute, with chances of recovery rated as being very poor. She also suffered physical and emotional pain, which resulted in anger issues. The applicant who was also pursuing a law degree ended up dropping out as a result of the ordeal. Furthermore, being out of employment and without a steady income, she had to sell her immovable property to finance medical bills, legal costs and the general upkeep of her family. The situation was further worsened by the defendants’ conduct after her unfair dismissal, she could not secure alternative employment as a result of the defendants’ negative testimonials to her potential prospective employers. The concerning aspect of the case is that the power balance and socio-economic dynamics between the plaintiff and the first defendant were continually used to silence and suppress her. The defendant was the Chief Executive Officer and she was his personal assistant and he had immense power over her. When litigation commenced, it was intentionally stalled by the defendants to avert justice. It is
The Legal Space now almost two decades since the incident happened and it is only through Mbatha’s persistence that the case has remained alive in the legal system. The Constitution of Zimbabwe provides that every person has inherent dignity in their private and public life, and the right to have that dignity respected. It is clear that sexual harassment, especially at the workplace, strips the victim of his or her dignity. It degrades her, it turns her into an object of sexual gratification. It strips her of her right to personal security as contemplated by Section 52 and Section 53 of the Constitution. Section 52 says every person has the right to bodily and psychological integrity, which includes, among others, the right to freedom from all forms of violence from public or private sources. Section 53 guarantees the freedom from, among other things, inhuman or degrading treatment. Therefore, a claim for damages for sexual harassment is an attempt to claim these constitutional and other rights violated by acts of sexual harassment. On October 20 2021, Mafusire J finally ruled in the applicant’s
favour and the order was made to the effect that the first defendant shall pay the plaintiff the sum of USD180 000-00 or the equivalent thereof in local currency, convertible at the inter-market bank rate at the time of payment. The first defendant was also ordered to pay the plaintiff ’s costs of suit. In light of the above, WILD would like to commend the Zimbabwe justice system for this ground-breaking judgment which comes at a time when the world is commemorating the 16 days of activism against GBV. The judgment is progressive in ensuring that GBV is addressed and recourse made for the protection of women. Over the years, sexual harassment has been rampant especially towards women in the workplace with survivors being forced to keep quiet for fear of being victimised. This judgment has set a precedent which WILD hopes will be upheld in all cases of a similar nature to protect women from violence in the workplace. The Labour Act which is currently in the process of being amended, provides for and criminalises all conduct amounting to sexual harassment as a means of providing
safe spaces in the workplace. It is the hope of WILD that the existing legal framework and the precedent set out in the highlighted case will be consistently interpreted to protect the rights of women in the workplace and in all other spheres from sexual harassment so that they are able to reach their full potential. WILD calls upon authorities and stakeholders to ensure that the fight against GBV and sexual harassment, goes beyond the 16 Days of Activism Against GBV annual campaigns. Taking note of the women’s movement towards the recognition of the rights of women in all spheres of life, this ground-breaking judgment is a step forward in ensuring the protection of women so that they can actively participate in public processes in various spheres without fear of victimisation. The organisation encourages victims and survivors of GBV especially women and girls to speak out against practices and stereotypes that perpetuate abuse. As stated in the Constitution of Zimbabwe, women have the right to fair, safe labour practises and satisfactory conditions of work.
WILD calls upon authorities and stakeholders to ensure that the fight against GBV and sexual harassment, goes beyond the 16 Days of Activism Against GBV annual campaigns. facebook.com/wildtrustzim |
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Community Voices
of a future generation of gender champions and empowered women and girls.
Umzingwane community elects GBV committee to monitor GBV cases
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n uMzingwane district, there has been a significant rise in the cases of Gender Based Violence and as villagers, we have observed that most of these cases go unreported and many survivors are still silent on cases of GBV, especially cases of domestic violence. Hence, as a way of commemorating the 16 Days of Activism Against GBV, we called a meeting and elected a committee that comprises of representatives from seven wards.
when tracking the progress done by these committee members it can thus be said that our district is doing a splendid job in trying to combat GBV.
By Mary Gwanyira
However, we are still facing a few challenges in terms of dealing with those domestic cases, whereby the survivors choose to protect their perpetrators and are actually afraid of speaking out. This becomes a hindrance as we have to respect their privacy and we are afraid to expose the perpetrators without the consent of the GBV survivor.
The role of these committee members is to oversee and monitor all cases of GBV in their wards and make sure that the perpetrators are reported to the village head and extreme cases are taken to the police to make sure that justice is served for the survivors. Therefore,
So going forward I think its better that we engage in educating women and girls on the importance of breaking the silence and normalising speaking out about cases of GBVso that we create a safe environment for our children and also give rise to the possibility
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16 Days commemorations an opportunity to reflect on what can be done
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n my understanding the 16 Days of Activism Against GBV are an opportunity to unite with partners around the world and reflect on what we can each do in our communities and in our lives to eliminate the disproportionate violence faced by women and girls. While pervasive, GBV is not inevitable and it can be prevented therefore it is our duty as the community to hold hands and stand against this violence. Stopping this violence starts with just believing the survivors, we should make it a point that whenever a woman vents out that they have been abused we should not judge them or accuse them but instead we should be kind to the victims and listen to them. By Ntandoyenkosi Ncube Another thing we can do as
Community Voices communities is to adopt comprehensive approaches that tackle the root cause, it is important that as communities, we identify the root causes of GBV such as drug abuse and combat them as a way of reducing the cases of GBV. Another thing we can do is transforming harmful social norms and empowering women and girls to speak up against any forms of GBV. Lastly, as we wrap up the 16 days
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of activism against GBV it is important that we remember that we should not only advocate against GBV during these 16 days but we should fight violence against women on every other day, especially now that we are approaching the festive season where there are usually high crime rates mainly due to excessive drug and alcohol abuse and other factors. It is therefore important that we create
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safe environments for our women and girls remembering that the damaging effects of GBV are not only detrimental to the victims but it also affects the community they live in. The bitterness, hurt and anger that comes with being abused usually affects the way the victim interacts with their family and the community as a whole.
Electoral Information Blitz get involved in such activities as they are educative and help them to participate in national development.” Ellen Juba and Talent Ndlovu from ZEC were present. Juba explained the processes of voter registration to the participants and also gave the participants a chance to discuss the factors that hinder the youths from participating in voter registration.
Youth urged to participate in voter registration
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omen’s Institute for Leadership Development as invited to a community Civic Day hosted by Youth-led Innovative Engagement with Leadership and Development Trust (YIELD) at Isilwane Youth Center. The Civic Day was aimed at discussing the involvement of youth in voter registration and also to help them have a clear understanding of Gender Based Violence as a way of commemorating the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence. Also invited were members of Parliament, ward councillors, representatives from CSOs, local authorities as well as Pumula residents.
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The first presentation was from Ndodana Madlela, a representative from Zimbabwe Elections Support Network (ZESN), who enlightened the youths on the importance of citizen participation in voter registration. He explained that “youths should normalize being pro active in community activities in order for them to have a better understanding of cross cutting issues such as voter registration and also get a chance to equally benefit from sustainable development.” He went on to inform the attendees that ZESN will be employing election observers during elections, hence it is the youths’ responsibility to make sure that they
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Iphithule Moyo a youth in attendance raised the issue of location of voter registration points, and made a suggestion that “if the Registry Offices could work with ZEC officials to provide an option for youths to get registered to vote when they come to collect National Identity Cards,”as that would increase the number of youths who are registered to vote. Another speaker Talent Ndlovu gave the participants a chance to try and establish the link between Gender Based Violence and Voter registration. To which she explained that “most victims of GBV have low self-confidence and therefore they tend to lose interest in most community initiatives such as voter registration”. She noted that it is important to build a loving community that is free from all forms of GBV, as this incentivizes equal and active participation by all.
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