Divine Foundation Trust (DFT) is dismayed at how young girls in Chiredzi and Mwenezi District face financial challenges that result in them not affording basic sanitary towels. This often leaves them with no choice but to use old rags among other unhygienic alternatives.

The Zimbabwean government has signed the Africa Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG), a positive step towards making sure the country operates within the dictates of regional instruments. Civil society in Zimbabwe, for the past years has been engaging the government to sign and domesticate several regional and international treaties and conventions, but the move faced vast resistance as it was considered a regime change agenda. 

President Emmerson Mngangagwa has responded to concerns that were raised by over 140 Matabeleland civil society leaders who met him at the Bulawayo State House last month. The meeting engaged the presidency and government on socio-economic and developmental issues pertinent to the Matabeleland region. The civil society delegation that  was led by Jennifer Williams the Director of Women of Zimbabwe Arise have received a response in a letter signed by Mrs V Mabiza the secretary for Justice Legal and Parliamentary Affairs.

Zimbabwe has twin problems which are trade imbalances (trade deficits) and fiscal imbalances (budget deficits). Shortage of FOREX and cash are not the problem but simply symptoms of the underlying and unsustainable deficits and imbalances over decades. The fact that by our own admission we have broken our own laws through borrowing way beyond legally approved limits should be a wakeup call to us as a country in general and specifically to the Monetary and Fiscal Authorities. The insistence on an exchange rate of 1:1 and hence resistance to allow a market determined exchange rate between the RTGS rate and the USD has precipitated an effervescence in the economy which if not attended to will seriously dislocate the pillars on which our economy rests.

Click the link below to read the entire call for action. 

CALL FOR ACTION – CEO AFRICA ROUNDTABLE….pdf

Churches have contributed tremendously to the development of Zimbabwean’s education sector. Before independence, most rural schools that provided education for black students were developed and run by churches through missionary centres. Those mission schools only received a fraction of the grants given to white schools by the colonial government. In the 1970s, the Rhodesian regime withdrew financial support from mission schools and promoted the handover of rural day schools to local councils, which often lacked a sufficient revenue base and struggled to provide education for black students

The National Association of Non Governmental Organisations (NANGO) is greatly concerned with the recent negative developments in the form of the arrest and detention of salient Human Rights lawyer, Beatrice Mtetwa, who was arrested on Sunday 17 March 2013.

The Association is calling for the urgent release of Mtetwa who was arrested by the police for her alleged obstruction of the course of justice following her rendering of legal representation to Thabani Mpofu whose residence was also raided and searched on the same day of Mtetwa’s arrest.

Mtetwa appeared before the Harare Provincial Magistrate, Marehwanazvo Gofa yesterday has since been remanded into prison to 3 April 2013 following the dismissal of her bail application filed by her lawyer, Advocate Thabani Mpofu. NANGO alludes to these serial repeated random arrests as punctuation of the heightening levels of continued attacks on Human Rights Defenders and Civil Society Organizations particularly Non Governmental Organisations.

NANGO demands government to end this escalating harassment and protect the basic human rights of all citizens in particular human rights activists and organisation especially during this very crucial moment in time when the country is anticipating a harmonized “free” and fair election. Whilst the political leadership of this country has made numerous utterances for peace and political tolerance in both print and electronic media, it is worrying to note that a lot of harassment and intolerance is being perpetrated not only by hooligans but also by the very law enforcement functionaries who are supposed to protect all citizens.

The Association urges government to respect fundamental human rights for all regardless of nationality and profession as we strive to work towards efforts for our collective social, political and economic development.

For more information and comments on this contact the NANGO Chairperson, Effort L. Ncube, on 0773 537 053

The meeting of the high-level political forum on sustainable development in 2018 convened under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council will be held from 9 to 18 July 2018; including the three-day ministerial meeting of the forum from 16 to 18 July 2018 in New York, USA.

The theme is “Transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies”. The meeting will review progress towards Sustainable Development Goals and sub-set of Sustainable Development Goals that will be reviewed in depth by the HLPF 2018 will be the following, including Goal 17 (Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development) that will be considered each year:

• Goal 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
• Goal 7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
• Goal 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
• Goal 12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
• Goal 15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

In addition, 47 countries are expected to present their Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) during the ministerial meetings and Zimbabwe will not be present. For more information, click https://sustainabledevelopment.un.rg/hlpf/2018

Objectives

In accordance with General Assembly resolutions 66/288 and 67/290, the Forum, consistent with its universal intergovernmental character, shall:

1. provide political leadership, guidance and recommendations for sustainable development;
2. enhance integration of the three dimensions of sustainable development in a holistic and cross-sectoral manner at all levels;
3. provide a dynamic platform for regular dialogue and for stocktaking and agenda-setting to advance sustainable development;
4. have a focused, dynamic and action-oriented agenda, ensuring the appropriate consideration of new and emerging sustainable development challenges;
5. follow up and review progress in the implementation of sustainable development commitments contained in Agenda 21, the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, the Barbados Programme of Action, the Mauritius Strategy and The Future We Want and, as appropriate, relevant outcomes of other United Nations summits and conferences, including the outcome of the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries as well as their respective means of implementation;
6. encourage high-level system-wide participation of United Nations agencies, funds and programmes and invite to participate, as appropriate, other relevant multilateral financial and trade institutions and treaty bodies, within their respective mandates and in accordance with United Nations rules and provisions;
7. improve cooperation and coordination within the United Nations system on sustainable development programmes and policies;
8. promote transparency and implementation by further enhancing the consultative role and participation of major groups and other relevant stakeholders at the international level in order to better make use of their expertise, while retaining the intergovernmental nature of discussions;
9. promote the sharing of best practices and experiences relating to the implementation of sustainable development and, on a voluntary basis, facilitate sharing of experiences, including successes, challenges and lessons learned;
10. strengthen the science-policy interface through review of documentation, bringing together dispersed information and assessments, including in the form of a global sustainable development report, building on existing assessments;
11. enhance evidence-based decision-making at all levels and contribute to strengthening ongoing capacity-building for data collection and analysis in developing countries; and
12. promote system-wide coherence and coordination of sustainable development policies.

The year 2015 saw the end of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGS) which were guiding national development planning and programming in view to attain the 8 global goals which sought primary to address global poverty and inequalities. Many nations Zimbabwe included did not achieve the majority of the MDGs as such there is the unfinished business. However, the global commitment to address the socio-economic challenges assisted in developing a common framework of addressing these challenges across the world. In view of this, the Heads of State and Government adopted a successor package of global development goals and indicators to synchronize the efforts of member’s states in addressing the economic, social, governance and environmental challenges facing the world today through the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a life span of 15 years that is 2016 to 2030.

nango_article_6.pdf

27 Jul 2018

Political candidates in Manicaland ceased the opportunity to engage community members ranging from youth, women, people with disabilities and the elderly. The candidates eagerly set themselves apart and were clear on why they deserved to win in the looming elections.

Mr K F Chiororo an independent candidate, Takawira Mupakati from National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) and C Hlatswayo from MDC Alliance explained the need for strong policies and promised to address these when elected into office. The youthful candidate from NCA proposed that when elected into office he will ensure legal reform processes to repeal the Communal Lands Acts which gives government power to dispossess people’s land without offering compensation. The National Constitutional Assembly aspiring candidate also argued that the current constitution centralises power in the hands of the president and said his party would spearhead a constitutional reform process which will usher in a new people driven constitution. The MDC Alliance candidate Mr C Hlatswayo promised effective service delivery.

Chipinge South independent candidate Mr K F Chiororo promised the electorate improved service delivery by the local authority and to crackdown corrupt council officials. He said that devolution could bring local economic development and added that all the candidates should pledge to campaign in peace and urge their supporters to co-exist despite divergent political ideologies. The candidates pledged to be accountable to the people and all agreed to use constituency development funds to build satellite clinics and other necessities which are not available in the constituency.

Platform for Youth Development Trust in collaboration with NANGO held this dialogue meeting between the electorate and candidates at New Checheche Conference Centre. Three out of an expected six candidates attended the meeting and more than 100 community members braved the chilly weather to interface with their potential leaders. This public dialogue meeting accorded citizens opportunity to discuss with the aspiring leaders issues affecting sustainable development and service delivery. A series of dialogue meeting will be held in all constituencies in Chipinge district and this would allow the interface between citizens and potential leaders.

27 Jul 2018

Harare residents have bemoaned the poor state of service delivery and call for all aspiring candidates to honour their pledges if they do win in the harmonised elections. Residents said that aspiring candidates should also respect the code of conduct which political parties have been mandated to sign and comply with.

Residents commended the code of conduct which binds all political parties, promotes conditions that are conducive for free and fair elections and a climate of tolerance in which electioneering activity may take place without fear, coercion, intimidation or reprisals.

However, somewhat content with the peaceful election environment, residents from the different constituencies highlighted grievances that cut across all constituencies. Residents called on the aspiring candidates to find lasting and sustainable solutions to poor access to clean and portable water, erratic electricity supply, irregular refuse collection, exorbitant rates, dilapidated recreational facilities, poor roads among other issues.

Residents also encouraged some of the aspiring candidates to relook at their priorities and ensure that what they prioritise is in line with needs of the people they intend to serve. As part of development for their communities, the candidates promised youth empowerment projects, setting up ward non-partisan ward development committees, improving road networks within constituencies, advocating for more water sourcing for areas like Mabvuku and Chitungwiza, fundraising to procure a local ambulance, resuscitating recreational centres, refurbishing public toilets, renovating designated public transport pick up points,  introducing neighbourhood watch to curb criminal activities and to lobby for affordable education for orphans and vulnerable children.

The aspiring candidates that got the opportunity to interact with their respective community members were Mary Terai and Tafadzwa Thomas both from Build Zimbabwe Alliance, Fortunate Musinake of the People’s Rainbow Coalition, Cleytos Mahlathini and Luke Dzinamarira from Coalition of Democrats, Munyaradzi Kufahakutizwi and Blessing Nhende representing MDC Alliance and Margaret Mweru from Zimbabwe Partnership for Prosperity. Only one aspiring Member of Parliament, Simbarashe Manomano participated in the interactions.  He is vying for MP representing MDC led by Thokozani Khupe.

Less than two weeks before the Harmonised elections, Harare Residents Trust (HRT) and NANGO held meetings to capacitate residents and rate payers so that they make informed decisions come the election day. It was of paramount importance to also create platforms of engagement between the electorate and candidates vying for public office.

Picture by NANGO 

HRT, a citizen rights group in Harare and NANGO, organised the interaction dubbed ‘Meet your potential leader’ with some of the candidates set to contest in the elections in Glen Norah, Mabvuku, Tafara, Chitungwiza and Highfield constituencies.

NANGO is a non-party political, non-profit making organisation and non-denominational official coordinating body of NGOs in Zimbabwe. It is mandated by its membership to coordinate the activities of NGOs, represent the NGO sector and strengthen the voice of NGOs in Zimbabwe. NANGO also coordinates various civil society responses to emerging issues in Zimbabwe.

By Keane Matenga and Franklin Mukwaira