Political Reporter

Analysts have hailed President Mnangagwa for observing gender parity in his appointments and said this was a step in the right direction towards the attainment of gender equality in top leadership positions in the country.

This follows the appointment of Justice Mary Zimba Dube as the new Judge President and Mrs Fortune Chimbaru as the new deputy Attorney General.

Political analyst Tapiwa Chabayanzara said President Mnangagwa was pushing for equality between men and women and this was shown by how he appointed women in top positions.

“Since 2017, President Mnangagwa has appointed women in key top positions. This shows that the President values the contribution of women in the development of the country. He sees women as key partners who should not be relegated to the peripheries,” said Chabayanzara.

Another analyst Miriam Zimowa added that the appointment of women was a progressive step and said this shows that gender equality would be achievable under the New Dispensation.

“It (the appointment) is a progressive step which we hope will be the standard of appointments in other sectors. The continued appointment of women in key positions represents an important step towards achievement of gender equality and parity in public appointments as required by the constitution. Again, such appointment will give young women great role models to look up to and emulate,” added Zimowa.

Analyst Terrence Chipwanya added that the appointment of a female Judge President marks a new milestone in Zimbabwe’s trajectory towards women’s empowerment and effective participation in decision making.

Since 2017, President Mnangagwa has walked the talk on the appointment of women in top positions. When he was elected President in 2017, President Mnangagwa appointed six female ministers in Cabinet up from the previous four, with five Ministers of State compared to four previously.

For the first time in the history of Zimbabwe, the Ministry of Defence and War Veterans and that of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation were headed by women.

In 2019, the President appointment Justice Loice Matanda Moyo as the new chairperson of the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), an indication that the President was indeed pushing for the upliftment of women.