NGOCC’s Grace Manyonga Sinkamba toasts Zambia’s 59th Independence Day

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…women and children, continue to bear the heavy brunt of poverty- NGOCC

By Simon Banda and Derrick Sinjela

Non-governmental Gender Organisations’ Coordinating Council (NGOCC) Chairperson Grace Manyonga Sinkamba commemorated Zambia’s 59th year since political independence was attained from British colonisers on Saturday, 24th October 1964.

Commemoorated the the theme: “Accelerating national development through equitable distribution of resources,” Ms. Manyonga- Sinkamba says the women’s movement is equally celebrating the gallant women and men that fought for Zambia’s political liberation.

In a Tuesday, 24th October, 2023 Press Statement circulated NGOCC Public Relations Officer (PRO) Ms. Fridah Nkonde- Mubanga, Ms. Manyonga- Sinkamba reiterated a desire to acelebrate women and men across the continent, who championed the political liberation of the many African states from colonialism to take the front row..

“Some of these women and men had to pay the ultimate price for us to enjoy the freedom we have today.
It is however sad to note that despite the political independence, Zambia and many African countries remains bound in the chains of poverty. Many citizens, especially the most vulnerable women and children, continue to bear the heavy brunt of poverty,” advised Ms. Manyonga- Sinkamba.

Citing the Zambia Statistics Agency’s 2022 Living Conditions Monitoring Survey, Ms. Manyonga- Sinkamba laments that poverty levels in Zambia currently stand at 60 percent, translating in more than half the population being poor.

“On this occasion, we therefore appeal to our leaders to address the high poverty levels in Zambia. As we celebrate the 59 years of independence, we also reflect on the journey the country has been on towards the achievement of gender equity and equality. While so much has been achieved, a lot more still needs to be done. We celebrate the marginal gains over the years but remain concerned with the ever-widening gap of inequality because of the entrenched patriarchy and the inadequate legal frameworks. Some of these gains over the last 59 years include, the recognition and agreement that women are indeed left behind and have been marginalised by the successive Governments, women being able to apply for passports or loans in their own right, that women can get paid maternity leave. We note the progressive reform of laws and policies towards ensuring gender equality. Of specific note is the reform of property inheritance laws, the establishment of the Victim Support Unit, development of a National Gender Policy, enactment of the Anti-Gender Based Violence Act, the Gender Equity and Equality Act and the Re-entry Policy,”noted Ms. Manyonga- Sinkamba.

Ms. Manyonga- Sinkamba says it is worth noting that as citizens celebrate this year’s Independence Day, Zambia and indeed the rest of the world adopted the commemoration of International Women’s Day (IWD) equallydeclared a national holiday.

Ms. Manyonga- Sinkamba describes the ascendance of two women to the position of Vice President concurrently; Inonge Mutukwa Wina and the incumbent Reverend Witner Kapembwa Mutale- Nalumango, appointment of the first Female Speaker of the National Assembly, Nelly Butete Kashumba Mutti as well as a female Deputy Chief Whip, Ms. Princess Kasune Zulu are milestones worth noting.

“However, Ms. Manyonga- Sinkamba reiterated restoration of the Ministry for Gender, which President Hakainde Sammy Hichilema reversed.

“Our perspective is that these advancements herein outlined, and others may also be lost especially in the absence of an appropriate and effective national gender machinery. We reiterate our demand for a gender machinery that will ensure that Gender is mainstreamed across all sectors in the public and private domains. The institutional framework should allow for capacity strengthening, monitoring, reporting, and correction where gender mainstreaming is lacking at all levels. It is also important for the government to ensure that all the above-mentioned progressive gender legislations and policies are fully implemented. Hence, we demand that President Hakainde Hichilema and his Government should immediately operationalize the Gender Equity and Equality Commission as established in Article 231 of the Republican Constitution as an oversight body in this regard. We further demand that the Government should re-establish the Ministry of Gender to coordinate and facilitate the mainstreaming of gender across government,” prayed Ms. Manyonga- Sinkamba.

Ms. Manyonga- Sinkamba says NGOCC noted with sadness that Zambia has over the years lost its value system and identifies with imitated alien cultures.

“This can be seen, for example, by the increased brothels in the name of casinos and massage parlors dotted around the country. At 59, Zambia is still fighting with issues such as high incidences of Gender Based Violence (GBV) and low numbers of women in leadership and decision-making positions. It is totally unacceptable that 59 years after independence, the country only has 15.6% female Members of Parliament which connotes continued discrimination and exclusion of women from participating in the governance and development of their country. Over the years the number of women in decision making has been dwindling. We therefore reiterate our demand for a quota system that will ensure 50:50 women and men representation in Parliament and at Local Government Level. From a cultural perspective, our traditional beliefs, and systems, while not all negative, perpetrate patriarchy and sustain norms and customs that impact negatively on women and girls such as early child marriages that is the major cause of girls dropping out of school and not completing their education. As the country matures, we need to debunk these negative traditional practices that negatively affect women,” observed Ms. Manyonga- Sinkamba.

Ms. Manyonga- Sinkamba called on Government and all stakeholders to join hands in discrediting all negative traditional norms, cultures that negatively impact women and perpetrate vices such as Gender Based Violence in Zambia.

“As already stated, poverty continues to bear the face of the women as they remain more vulnerable. The theme for this year’s commemoration would not be more appropriate on the need for equitable distribution of national resources. Therefore, there is need to urgently address poverty if political independence is to be meaningful. Political independence remains unappreciated without economic emancipation,” noted Ms. Manyonga- Sinkamba.