SECOND ANNUAL SOUTHERN AFRICA LOCAL

CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE
GOVERNMENT AND GENDER JUSTICE
SUMMIT AND AWARDS
28 – 30 MARCH 2011
KOPANONG HOTEL, JOHANNESBURG,
SOUTH AFRICA
“365 DAYS OF LOCAL ACTION TO END GENDER
VIOLENCE: HALVE GENDER VIOLENCE BY 2015”

CHIREDZI TOWN COUNCIL

C.O.E COUNCIL
 CHIREDZI TOWN COUNCIL EMPLOYEES INVOLVED IN C.O.E
PROCESS
CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE

Chief Accountant Systems Administrator Community Officer

Personnel & Admin Officer Data Capture Clerk Audit Clerk

CHIREDZI TOWN COUNCIL

C.O.E COUNCIL
 WHAT IS THE LEVEL OF BUY IN AND
INVOLVEMENT OF MANAGEMENT AND
POLITICIANS IN THE
C.O.E PROCESS?
CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE

• COUNCILLORS- They are at the forefront of

championing gender equality in the Community of
Chiredzi and Chiredzi Town Council. They are the
drivers of the draft gender policy.

• SENIOR MANAGEMENT– Management have committed

themselves to implementing a new gender policy that
obligates gender equality in Chiredzi Town Council.

• EMPLOYEES- They recognize the importance of gender

balance and will cooperate with the proposed gender
policy as long as it is with their involvement.

CHIREDZI TOWN COUNCIL

C.O.E COUNCIL
 HAS THE COMPLETED STAGES 1 – 6?
INDICATE TIME - FRAMES
CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE

Chiredzi Town Council completed stage one to six of the C.O.E process. The
time frames for each stage are indicated below,

STAGES
1Meetings with Management teams and political Nov 2010
heads of Council
2 Situation Analysis Nov 2010
3 Council level policy and implementation Feb 2011
4Community mobilization village level meetings on the Feb 2011
SADC Protocol
5Capacity building: on-the-job training, Gender analysis Nov 2010
and budgeting, media literacy; transforming leadership
6 Application of skills in the running of major campaigns Dec 2010

CHIREDZI TOWN COUNCIL

C.O.E COUNCIL
 STAGE 6-CYBER DIALOGUES
CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE

CHIREDZI TOWN COUNCIL

C.O.E COUNCIL
 IS THERE A HIGH LEVEL GENDER CHAMPION?
CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE

The Council has a high-level GENDER CHAMPION by the name of Councillor Bernadette Chipembere.

Councillor Chipembere has been a campaigner for gender issues in Chiredzi Town throughout her 10 year term in office.

CHIREDZI TOWN COUNCIL

C.O.E COUNCIL
 COUNCILLOR CHIPEMBERE
She is a COMMUNAL LEADER AND AN ACTIVIST for the advancement
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of
Gender issues in Chiredzi Town

Here, she is pictured here with her fellow Councilors and the Internal
Auditor
CHIREDZI TOWN COUNCIL
C.O.E COUNCIL
 DOES THE COE HAVE A GENDER AND GBV
ACTION PLAN? IS IT BEING IMPLEMENTED?
CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE

The Council has a DRAFT GENDER AND GBV ACTION

PLAN. The organization is in the process of organizing
workshops with employees and stakeholders. It
intends to communicate the draft gender policy and
get their contributions.

CHIREDZI TOWN COUNCIL

C.O.E COUNCIL
 ARE GENDER AND GBV CONCERNS AND
RESPONSIBILITIES FOR BOTH WOMEN AND
MEN? HOW ARE THEY INVOLVED?
CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE

• Responsibility for Gender and GBV issues is with

SENIOR MANAGEMENT. However, the Community
Services Officer, with the assistance of the Personnel
and Administration Officer and the Internal Auditor,
deal with the day-to-day gender and GBV issues. THE
COMMUNITY SERVICES OFFICER and the PERSONNEL
AND ADMINISTRATOR OFFICER are both women.

. Apart from Senior Management, the INTERNAL

AUDITOR is the only male employee involved in gender
issues

CHIREDZI TOWN COUNCIL

C.O.E COUNCIL
 ARE THEIR DEDICATED RESOURCES,
INCLUDING HUMAN AND FINANCIAL
RESOURCES FOR GENDER MAINSTREAMING?
CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE

• There are financial resources budgeted for gender

issues. However RESOURCES ARE NOT ADEQUATE to
effect significant change with regards to gender
balance.

• Council has THREE EMPLOYEES who are dedicated to

gender issues. They are the Community Services
Officer, the Personnel and Administration Officer and
the Internal Auditor.

CHIREDZI TOWN COUNCIL

C.O.E COUNCIL
 RESOURCEFULNESS? OTHER FINANCIAL,
HUMAN AND OTHER RESOURCES MOBILISED?
CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE

• The Council is TRYING TO MOBILISE OTHER

FINANCIAL, HUMAN OR OTHER RESOURCES to
target gender mainstreaming and other GBV
initiatives. Senior management has made it a
priority.

• Council has however managed to capitalise

on expert human capital provided by
ORGANIZATIONS LIKE GENDER LINKS.

CHIREDZI TOWN COUNCIL

C.O.E COUNCIL
 MONITORING AND EVALUATION
CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE

• COUNCIL HAS TABLED A GENDER POLICY IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE

SADC GENDER PROTOCOL. Senior Management, through INTERNAL
AUDIT, shall ensure there is regular monitoring, evaluation and
reporting on adherence to the gender policy. Where corrective action
is required, Senior Management shall direct it.

• Senior Management shall also sanction REGULAR WORKSHOPS with

key stakeholders within Council, to ensure that they is constant
reinforcement of gender based initiatives and report-backs on
progress made.

• Councillors have agreed to hold WARD MEETINGS with their

constituents. The progress made on gender-based initiatives shall be
documented and compared against action plans. If there are any
deviations from what is required, corrective action shall be taken.

CHIREDZI TOWN COUNCIL

C.O.E COUNCIL
 WHAT RESULTS HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED?
CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE

1.The Council introduced CYBER DIALOGUES to 103 participants

during the 16 days of activism against gender violence.

Participants were taught how to,

• Use computers,
• Register for free e-mail addresses from Google and Yahoo
• Register with Gender Links
• Use the gender links chart room

2.The C.O.E programme has also managed to improve the

ATTITUDE OF MEN IN LEADERSHIP towards gender justice.
Chiredzi Town Councillors and Senior Management are now more
responsive to gender issues, largely due to the C.O.E
programme.

CHIREDZI TOWN COUNCIL

C.O.E COUNCIL
 IMPACT (BASED ON THE
SADC PROTOCOL TARGETS)
CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE

• With reference to the 28 TARGETS of the SADC Protocol

on Gender and Development, Chiredzi Town Council,
through the COE process, is helping to
 
“HALVE THE CURRENT LEVELS OF
GENDER BASED VIOLENCE BY 2015”
 
And
 
“365 DAYS OF LOCAL ACTION TO END
GENDER BASED VIOLENCE”

CHIREDZI TOWN COUNCIL

C.O.E COUNCIL
 SUSTAINABILITY AND REPLICATION
1.Sustainability and replication is possible because Chiredzi Town Council is
CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE

SUPPORTED BY ITS MAJOR STAKEHOLDERS. They include, Councillors, employees,

Communal leaders, Government and non-Governmental Organizations.

Taking CYBER DIALOGUES as an example, for the sake of sustainability and

replication, the Council shall meet with former participants to check whether they
are,
 Continually using the computer skills that they received

• Discussing gender issues using e-mail

• Meeting with each other and sharing information on gender based violence
within their homes and within the community
• Accessing the Gender Links website.
• Impacting the knowledge they learnt to other members of the community

2.Chiredzi Town Council will also TRANSFER THE KNOWLEDGE GAINED from the
C.O.E programme to other Councils.

CHIREDZI TOWN COUNCIL

C.O.E COUNCIL
 LESSONS LEARNED
CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE

1. COUNCILLORS AND SENIOR MANAGEMENT should

champion gender mainstreaming in Chiredzi Town. This
will help to mitigate those cultural, economic and social
issues that prevent gender equality

2. Chiredzi Town Council should promote EQUAL ACCESS

TO RESOURCES for both men and women e.g. housing
stands

3. Council should create EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES for both

sexes in the decision-making levels of Council. This may
require a revamp of the recruitment policy

CHIREDZI TOWN COUNCIL

C.O.E COUNCIL
 ANY QUESTIONS?
CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE

Prepared by Owen Gwasira

Auditor-Chiredzi Town Council