By Audience Mutema

ZIMBABWEANS are gifted in formulating laws that they go on to defy, Mutasa North legislator Chido Madiwa has said.

Madiwa, who chairs parliament’s Women Affairs, Small and Medium Enterprise Committee was speaking in parliament while presiding over a hearing by the Zimbabwe Gender Commission which was giving oral evidence before her committee.

Before her comments, she and members of her committee had listened to a presentation by ZGC chair Margaret Mukahanana-Sangarwe who had highlighted the country’s constitution was being violated through the appointment of parastatal boards which were not gender balanced.

“As a country,” Madiwa said, “We are known for being very good in coming up with paper and coming up with laws but there is what we call inertia.

“In terms of doing, we are at zero. This is very worrying and that is why we have called you (ZGC) to give this kind of evidence.”

ZGC had told the committee that during the appointment of new Ministers August last year, her commission sent advisory notes to all 20 Ministers drawing their attention to the constitutional requirement of gender parity in new board appointments.

She said they did the same during a 2019 high level meeting with government ministers but there were still no measures taken by ministers to ensure they closed the gaps found in the composition of boards.

“In the 2019 trend, what is more worrisome is none of the boards being appointed has shown gender balance,” Mukahanana-Sangarwe said.

“Particular reference is made at the following Ministries; ministry of Lands, Information, Finance, Youths, Transport and even ambassadorial appointments. There are few women compared to men.”