Today, Women’s Institute for Leadership Development (WILD) held a town hall meeting in Lupane to encourage young women to be proactive in calling for their elected leaders to deliver on the promises they made in the run up to the 2018 harmonized elections. The meeting was held at Lupane Women’s Center and was attended by about 50 women who are active in different structures in the district.
The key deliverable from the meeting was a list of demands that was drawn by the participants in order to present them to councilors and Members of Parliament in the district.
Participants demanded that the newly elected officials should schedule periodic interface meetings with members of the public in order for them to get a full appreciation of the challenges affecting the community. Young women in the meeting challenged the elected officials to ensure that local youths are employed at Lupane State University and that they also get first preference for enrolment in the university.
“The University has since fully moved to Lupane but we as youths feel excluded when it comes to employment and enrolment. We would like to be given a quota as local youths so that we contribute to the development of our district. Members of Parliament and councilors should ensure that they lead in the negotiations with the University and the government,” said Silethemba Lunga from Matshiya ward in Lupane.
Other young women challenged the elected officials to ensure that in the next five years, they help establish a vocational training center that will cater for youths who are not eligible for enrolment at Lupane State University.
The other items on the demand list includes the decriminalization of vending at the business center, increased access to education and counselling services for girls falling pregnant whilst at high school as well as the decentralization of services in line with constitutional provisions on devolution of power.
Participants also discussed the upcoming delimitation exercise to be conducted by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) and vowed to encourage those that have not registered to vote to do so.
Source: Women’s Institute for Leadership Development (WILD)
