×
NewsDay

AMH is an independent media house free from political ties or outside influence. We have four newspapers: The Zimbabwe Independent, a business weekly published every Friday, The Standard, a weekly published every Sunday, and Southern and NewsDay, our daily newspapers. Each has an online edition.

Parliament decries scarcity of women, youths in parastastal boards

News
MEMBERS of Parliament last week expressed concern over alleged marginalisation of women and youths as well regional discrimination in the appointment of board members to serve in various parastatals.

MEMBERS of Parliament last week expressed concern over alleged marginalisation of women and youths as well regional discrimination in the appointment of board members to serve in various parastatals.

BY VENERANDA LANGA

Debating the motion moved by MDC legislator Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga and seconded by Jasmine Toffa (MDC), the legislators called on the government to ensure marginalised groups were considered for appointment in State enterprises and parastatals.

“None of the 86 parastatals in the country have complied with the issue around gender equity,” Misihairabwi-Mushonga said.

“When you look at the list of people that are sitting in these parastatals, the majority of them come from the northern region (87), while only four people are from other regions and the rest are Shona names,” she said.

She cited NetOne where six females sat on the board, but a man was then chosen to be the chairperson giving the impression that the women had no capacity to lead such organisations.

“So, you literally have these amazing women together but the message that you are sending in this particular instance is that, yes, you can be good women, you can sit in as members of the parastatal’s board but you cannot chair,” she said.

The MP said the only parastatal chaired by a woman, Otilia Mlambo, was Chitungwiza Garment Factory, while critical parastatals like CMED, NetOne and TelOne were chaired by men.

She said there was also a tendency of appointing the same persons to sit on more than one board.