THERE is no need for President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s spokespersons to defend their boss’ interference with the judicial system of our country, especially at the courts where he deferred Chief Justice Luke Malaba’s retirement to use him in the capture of government organs.

People were allured by love for a revolution to bring in a dictatorial leadership.

This government is the worst this country has ever had. I also participated in protests meant to remove the late former President Robert Mugabe which I regret for the rest of my life.

May God forgive me.

People were cheated by the call by Victor Matemadanda and Douglas Mahiya to come in their thousands to support a revolution for the better, while their agenda was to use Zimbabweans and dumb them after capturing State power.

People responded, I responded, and we flooded the city of Harare. We led ourselves to the gallows.

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At one time, judges and magistrates complained that the Chief Justice was demanding that after the completion of every trial before handing down judgment, the presiding officer was required to take their judgment to Malaba for moderation.

There was an outcry and Zanu PF spin doctors denied that there was such an order.

If people think it was a lie that Malaba pens judgments to please his master Mnangagwa, then Zimbabweans are fools.

All political trials are assigned to a judge or a magistrate who has no power over the judgments as all judgments are doctored to suit the boss.

This is a total suppression of the opposing voices, making sure that those who are against the regime are prosecuted, at the same time making sure those who engage in corrupt activities are spared.

Our courts must be closed.

All political trials must be assigned to Malaba since he is the one passing all judgments on political matters.

He was hired by the oppressive Zanu PF regime to protect Mnangagwa.

Other judicial officers are now only there for salaries as all cases are predetermined.

Mnangagwa is presiding over the decay of the justice system, a dying economy where thieves and looters flourish.

They have protection from the State. No corrupt Zanu PF member or minister has been jailed for being involved in corruption.

Mnangagwa must say something to Zimbabweans on the ills going on in the country since he is the country’s chief executive officer.

We have seen more opposition figures being jailed during Mnangagwa’s reign.

I urge people not to hate magistrate Feresi Chakanyuka, but remove the mask from her face and see exactly who is pulling the strings.-Isaac Mupinyuri

 

Women in informal work need more protection

 

IN developing countries such as Zimbabwe, the informal sector has great potential to generate growth, support sustainable development and reduce poverty.

The sector constitutes the larger part of Zimbabwe’s economy. It remains unregulated and this offers little to no protection of the law to workers in this sector.

The true figures pertaining to Zimbabwe’s informal trade remain largely unknown due to failure in capturing the size of informal trade which is sustaining most families in Zimbabwe.

The informal economy thrives in a high unemployment atmosphere, underemployment, poverty, gender disparity and unstable work.

It plays a substantial role under such conditions, especially in income generation, due to the fact that it is fairly easy to penetrate the informal sector as the requirements pertaining to skill, education and technology are low and sometimes non-existent.

Although less favourable, the informal sector provides women with an opportunity to earn a living while trying to balance their triple responsibilities; reproductive, productive and community roles.

These roles are largely characterised by unpaid care work.

While some activities offer sustainable livelihoods and incomes, most people with low literacy levels involved in informal economic activities are exposed to unsatisfactory and hazardous working conditions.

Those in the informal sector have lower, irregular incomes and are plagued by long working hours, an absence of collective bargaining as well as representation of their rights.

Women’s work in the informal sector is excluded from labour regulations which protect pregnant women, offer social security schemes, and time off work, and regulates health and the safety of the worker.

Employment of young women in the informal sector leads to notable job insecurity, as well as lack of access to training, credit and productive assets, little to no social protection and other valuable resources, making them more vulnerable to poverty.

Of the many types of informal employment, women tend to be over-represented among domestic workers, home-based care workers, street vendors and sex workers.

The formal sector remains dominated by men; the conditions, educational requirements, working hours and work environment are unfriendly towards both the practical and strategic needs of women.

Young girls drop out of school at an earlier age than boys due to a number of reasons that include poverty and emergencies as just experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic where there was a boom of teenage pregnancies.

Their education is not prioritised, and some religions advocate for child marriage which also leads to a high drop-out rate of young girls.

This reduces the chances of women being formally employed as they would not have met the minimum educational requirements in most industries.

The Government of Zimbabwe ratified international and regional instruments such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women that support women’s empowerment.

The Constitution of Zimbabwe also attests to gender and women empowerment commitment.-Zimbabwe Coalition onDebt and Development

 

 Time to prioritise social justice

 

MAY 1 each year is International Workers Day. It is a day that has been commemorated since 1946, a year after the Second World War that ended in 1945.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO), a United Nations affiliate, in its statement this year chronicled the birth of the organisation and its founding principles.

It said: “First and foremost, our policies and actions must be human-centred, to allow people to pursue both their material well-being and their spiritual development in conditions of freedom and dignity, economic security and equal opportunity. This approach is not new, it was set out and agreed in the aftermath of World War Two, when the ILO’s international membership signed the 1944 Declaration of Philadelphia.”

ILO director-general Gilbert F Houngbo called for a global coalition for social justice and a reshaping of economic, social and environmental policies to create a more stable and equitable future.

It is imperative to define what social justice is. Social justice is defined as justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society.

While ILO had the theme of Social Justice this year, Zimbabwe’s labour body, the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions [ZCTU] held the commemorations under the theme Workers demand an inclusive Zimbabwe free from poverty, corruption and oppression.

It is important that ILO from a global perspective correctly observed that, “globally, real wages have fallen, poverty is rising, inequality seems more entrenched than ever.”

It emphasised that: “This means focusing on inequality, poverty alleviation and core social protection. The most effective way to do this is by providing quality jobs so that people can support themselves and build their own future — Decent Work for All, as Sustainable Development Goal 8 terms it.”

This is a reality in Zimbabwe, where millions of workers do not earn enough to feed, clothe, pay rentals, access education and health for their families.

The majority of workers in Zimbabwe can now be easily called the “working poor”.

It is in this perspective that Veritas joins labour representatives in Zimbabwe in their call for an inclusive Zimbabwe free from poverty, corruption and oppression. These are matters that are immediate and need urgent attention.

Many workers across Zimbabwe earn measly wages and salaries, some go for months without getting their remuneration or work in dangerous environments.

This is more pervasive in the mining sector that is now controlled by companies owned by the elite who are only interested in extracting resources and care less about the environment or labour rights.

To that end, Veritas calls on the government to own up to its ratification of international labour treaties that call for safe working environments, decent wages, workers’ right to withdraw labour, decent housing and access to education and universal healthcare.-Veritas