Zimbabwe Minister may be charged with contempt of parliament for prevarication

What transpired on 1 March

HON: KHUPE:  My question is directed to the Minister of Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development.  We are all alive to the fact that Zimbabwe is highly informalised, with more than 5.4 million people in the informal sector.  Out of those, 78% are women.  What progress has been made with regards to the operationalisation of the Women’s Bank, to ensure that women have access to capital and are able to grow their businesses so as to contribute effectively to the development of this country?

THE MINISTER OF WOMEN AFFAIRS, GENDER AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT (HON. CHIKWINYA):  The Hon Member has asked her question at the right time when progress has actually been made in that regard.  Let me assure you that we are aware of that problem, that 75% of those that are in the vending sector and those that are really struggling to make sure that they live are women.  It is not an easy situation but we have come up with the women’s bank and I want to let you know that we now have a board in place, an acting Chief Executive Officer and have been advanced $10 million by our Minister of Finance and Economic Development so that we start operating.  We also now have banking halls and training of those that are going to mann the bank is in progress.  For those that are stakeholders, we will be approaching you to ensure that everyone who would want to put money in the bank does come on board.

 Having said that, we are sincerely hoping that on the International Family Day, which is 8th May, 2017, we should be launching the bank and finally ensuring that those women that need the money, with the help of every stakeholder who would want to put money in the bank, will start accessing funding and ensure that the problem that you have just alluded to is taken care of.  I thank you.

HON. ZWIZWAI:  I want to thank the Minister for that response, which was informing the nation on the progress of the Women’s Bank. What is of concern to us Mr. Speaker is that the Minister is talking about the training of staff … 

*THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Member can you pose your question?

*HON. ZWIZWAI: My question to the Minister is that there are a number of women; young women and girls and a country that has pledged $10 million to finance the bank, where is this coming from that people are being trained to operate the bank and yet it was not advertised in the papers that there are vacancies for the Women’s Bank.

* HON. CHIKWINYA: Thank you Mr. Speaker sir. There are different sectors which do that. There are experts who are capable of running that bank and they are the ones who do that – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – Those who look for the people to mann and work in the bank are the board members and the CEO. That is not the work of the Government.

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