WOMEN Affairs minister Sithembiso Nyoni last week revealed that her ministry through the Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC) investigated Prophetic Healing and Deliverance (PHD) Ministries leader Walther Magaya and several companies over allegations of sexual abuse of females.
Nyoni said this last week in the National Assembly while
tabling ZGC annual reports for the years 2017 to 2019.
“Investigation of possible violations of rights relating to
gender equality is one of the major mandates of the commission, which in 2019
managed to investigate a number of such cases including the Department of
Immigration, National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ), Interpol Zimbabwe, Casadella
Biscuits Limited, Masvingo City Council, Walter Magaya of PHD Ministries and
Tobacco Industry Marketing Board,” Nyoni said. She did not give details of the
investigations.
She also said the ZGC received and dealt with complains of
violations of rights that relate to gender-based discrimination.
“It received and dealt with complaints of potential
violation to rights relating to gender which varied from gender-based
discrimination and gender-based violations, including sexual harassment, one of
them includes the Mvuthu chieftainship dispute in Hwange which is still
ongoing.”
Nyoni said the commission managed to offer assistance to
people through mobile clinics and held community outreaches, adding that one of
the major achievements of the gender commission was to submit draft principles
to the ministry for development of the Gender Equality Bill and the Anti-sexual
Harassment Bill.
“The commission also managed to monitor and engage
intensive consultative process on quotas for equality through provisional
dialogue, national workshops and a Sadc mission to learn regional best
practices on integrating gender in elections.”
Nyoni said the Constitution mandated the ZGC to monitor
issues concerning gender equality and to ensure gender equality as provided for
in the Constitution.
She urged the commission to investigate possible violations
of rights relating to gender equality, receive and consider complaints from the
public and to take such action in regard to the complaints as it considers
appropriate.
Nyoni recommended the development of a national strategy to
deal with issues of culture, religion, social norms and all deeply held
patriarchal values in our society. Newsday
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