Political Parties Pledge To Mobilise, Support Women Candidates

By Paul Shalala

Zambia has more female voters than males

Seven political parties on the Copperbelt have pledged to work together across party lines to help more women get adopted ahead of the August 11 general elections.

The seven include the ruling Patriotic Front, UPND, Democratic Front, MMD, FDD, Rainbow Party and the National Restoration Party.

In a communiqué read on Friday by MMD Copperbelt Province Chairlady Edith Mataka, the parties have pledged to mobilize all women across the province to support women candidates at Councilor, Member of Parliament and Presidential levels.

The communiqué was arrived at after the two days Women’s Development Dialogue in Kitwe which was attended by over 300 aspiring candidates for councilor, mayor and Member of Parliament drawn from all districts on the Copperbelt.

The Non-Governmental Organisations Coordinating Council (NGOCC) organized the event and brought specialists to teach the women how to win adoption and sustain their campaigns.

“We resolve to unite across political affiliation to mobilize our fellow women to rally support for our fellow female candidates as Councilors, Members of Parliament and Presidential candidates ahead of the 2016 elections,” read part of the communiqué.

The women also condemned the recent violence which has rocked the political scene.

“We condemn the recent political violence that has characterized the political arena and some of the entrenched cultural and traditional practices that have been inhibiting the participation of women in politics.”

And during the closure of the dialogue, NGOCC Executive Director Engwase Mwale said the organisation had launched the Vote for a Woman campaign.

Engwase Mwale

“We want the men to support us. We are used to saying ‘behind every successful man is a woman.’ Now we also need the men to support us by giving us a 50-50 gender parity during the adoptions,” said Mwale.

The Kitwe dialogue was the tenth and last provincial dialogue the NGOCC was holding across the country.

Two weeks ago during the Northern Province Women’s Development dialogue in Kasama, the organisation launched the Vote for a Woman campaign.

Under this campaign, the organisation will give capacity building to female aspirants.

Further, the organisation plans to pay for live radio phone-in programs were female candidates can feature and sell their manifestos.

Currently, out of the 158 Members of Parliament, only 22 are female while out of the approximately 1, 444 councilors countrywide, only about 82 are women.

8 NGOs Withdraw High Court Lawsuit Against Govt On NGO Act

By Paul Shalala

Engwase Mwale

Emmerine Kabanshi

Eight Non-Governmental Organisations that sued the Zambian government in the High Court over the Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) Act of 2009 have withdrawn the lawsuit and opted for dialogue.

The NGOs had sued government following its decision to implement the controversial Act by registering all NGOs countrywide.

Over two hundred NGOs countrywide registered with the Ministry of Community Development but hundreds others defied several ultimatums for deregistration.

Speaking on behalf of the eight NGOs, Non-Governmental Organisations Coordinating Council Executive Director Engwase Mwale said the decision to withdraw the lawsuit is aimed at bringing government to the negotiating table.

"We have decided to withdraw the lawsuit because we want dialogue to prevail over the NGO Act. We had a meeting with the Attorney General where we agreed to go back to the drawing board," said Mwale.


She however says the NGOs reserve the right to take back the lawsuit if dialogue does not yield results.


The eight NGOs that  sued government are FODEP, NGOCC, Operation Young Vote, Zambia Council for Social Development and Action Aid.

Others are Zambia Civic Education Association, Women and Law Development in Africa and the Young African Leaders Initiative.

But Community Development Minister Emmerine Kabanshi says the decision by the eight NGOs to withdraw the lawsuit is a good move.

But she has revealed that government will not stop the registration of NGOs.

"We will not stop registering NGOS. But we are committed to implementing the July 2014 Roadmap on reviewing the NGO Act, she said.

The controversial law was enacted during the reign of the MMD but it was only operationalised by the PF government much to the annoyance of NGOs.



The civil society is against the provisions of the NGO Act which compels them to be registered by government as they see it as regulation by the state.

According to the July 2014 Roadmap for reviewing the NGO Act, an independent consultant is  supposed to be hired to review the act and there after, a national validation stakeholder meeting on the act must be held in October this year.

The document further stipulates that a draft bill must be prepared and tabled in Cabinet before its taken to parliament for amendment in July 2015.

Zambia's Female MPs Now Reach 20 After Recent By-Elections

Victoria Kalima

By Paul Shalala

The number of female Members of Parliament in Zambia's National Assembly has now hit 20 following the election of three women during by-elections held last week.

On Thursday, three female MPs Victoria Kalima (Kasenengwa), Christabel Ngimbu (Zambezi West) and Margaret Miti (Vubwi) where elected following tightly contested for polls.

Margaret Miti

The by-elections where a trendsetter as more than 4 females where adopted to contest the 5 seats.

Despite this huge achievement in the promotion of women participation in decision making, the number of male MPs is still higher than that of females.

Of the 158 MPs (both elected and nominated), Zambia has more than 125 male MPs.

Others elected where male MPs who included Dawson Kafwaya (Solwezi Central) and  and Davies Chisopa (Mkushi South).

Christabel Ngimbu

The elections retired Dr. Eustarkio Kazonga who represented the people of Vubwi for several years and was a Deputy and Cabinet Minister in the MMD.

Another old timer  who was retired in the by-elections was Charles Kakoma who was in his second term in Zambezi West.

Below are statements from the women's movement congratulating the electorates for electing the female MPs:

PRESS STATEMENT

ZNWL ELATED AT THE ELECTION OF THREE WOMEN AS MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT

For Immediate Release                                                                  12 September 2014 

The Zambia National Women’s Lobby is elated at the election of Ms. Victoria Kalima (MMD), Ms. Margaret Miti (PF) and Ms. Christabel Ngimbu (PF) as Members of Parliament for Kasenengwa, Vubwi and Zambezi -West respectively, in the recent by elections. The number of women in Parliament has now increased from 17 to 20 and the percentage of women in Parliament now stands at 12.6% from 10.7%. We appeal to the PF Government to appoint the newly elected women MPs into Cabinet to further increase the number of women in decision making positions.

The election of the three honourable members of parliament is testimony of the progress made towards society’s acceptance of women as equal partner in development.

We commend their political parties for having afforded the three women an opportunity to serve the nation at a high level and further extend our gratitude to the people of these three constituencies for choosing women to represent their interests.

We urge the three members of parliament to work hard and diligently serve the people who have placed their hopes and aspirations in their hands.

We urge political parties to continue adopting women so that they have a chance of serving at national decision making positions to bring about gender equality which is a conduit for national development.

ZNWL remains committed to enhancing the participation of women in leadership at various levels and will continue to advocate and lobby for improved recognition of women as equal partners in development.

BEAUTY KATEBE (MS)    

ZAMBIA NATIONAL WOMEN’S LOBBY BOARD CHAIRPERSON

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

12^th September 2012

NGOCC CONGRATULATES NEWLY ELECTED FEMALE PARLIAMENTARIANS

The Non Governmental Organisations’ Coordinating Council (NGOCC) congratulates the three newly elected female Members of Parliament, who were elected during the last round of by -elections held on 11 September 2014.

As a movement, we are glad that voters in the three constituencies have elected women to preside over the constituencies.

Three out of the five winners in the by-elections held in North Western, central and eastern provinces are women, namely Ms. Christabel Ngimbu (Zambezi West), Ms. Margret Miti (Vubwi), and Ms. Victoria Kalima (Kasenengwa).

NGOCC has been deeply concerned with the low number of women in decision-making positions especially in Parliament and Cabinet. It is totally unacceptable that 50 years after independence, only four (4) women are Cabinet Ministers and 20 are Members of Parliament.

Hence we wish to congratulate all the political parties that adopted women as candidates. We hope that they will continue to adopt more women as their candidates especially as the country prepares for the 2016 Presidential, Parliamentary, and Local Government elections.

The election of the three in the last by - elections is a further demonstration of the growing confidence the Zambian people have in the leadership of women.

There is need for the country to begin to formulate policies that will accelerate the country’s attainment of the SADC Gender protocol of 50 – 50 representation for both men and women by 2015.

for/NGOCC

Engwase B. Mwale

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR