Staff Reporter
ZANU PF legislator for Goromonzi West, Beatrice Nyamupinga, has emphasised the importance of constituency development, urging her fellow legislators to remain diligent and accessible to their communities.
Speaking on the side-lines of Women’s Parliamentary Caucus Elections Strategy Development for 2024-2028 in Harare yesterday, Nyamupinga highlighted the need for continuous engagement and responsiveness to community needs.
"I would like to advise and implore my fellow Parliamentarians: let us be approachable and accessible to people so that we can be able to know the problems and be able to deal with them. I want to keep encouraging women that let's not feel warm in these positions where we are called quota women,” she stated.
Nyamupinga also advocated for an increase in the women's quota in the House of Assembly to 105 seats.
She reasoned that securing half of the 210 constituencies for women would ensure greater representation and focus on issues affecting women.
“Of the 210 constituencies in this country as women, let’s grab 105, and then if we add with quota, then there are more women in the House of Assembly, and it means we will be pushing all our women issues, as not all issues are about participating in the political space, but it's about a lot of things that affect women,” Nyamupinga elaborated.
The push for greater female representation follows the Government’s recent introduction of a 30 percent women’s quota system at the local Government level, a significant stride towards gender equality, implemented during the Harmonised General Elections of August 2023.
Prior to this, the women's quota was exclusively for the House of Assembly and the Senate.
Under President Mnangagwa and the Second Republic, several women have ascended to key leadership roles, evidencing the Government's commitment to gender inclusion.
Notable appointments include Justice Loice Matanda Moyo as the new Prosecutor General, Attorney General Mrs Virginia Mabhiza, Public Health Advisor to the President and Cabinet Dr Agnes Mahomva, and Secretary to Service Commissions Dr Tsitsi Choruma, among others.
These developments were interpreted by various political commentators as a signal for a progressive shift towards empowering women in governance and leadership, underscoring the pivotal role they play in the nation's development trajectory.
