Traditional Leaders in Chipinge to Work closely with a local CBO to Ensure Gender Equality

On 23 April 2019, the Platform for Youth Development Trust, a local community-based organization held an interface meeting with traditional leaders in Muumbe village. The meeting was to seek an understanding of the role that women play in customary courts. Headman Zamchiya and 14 other traditional leaders attended the interface meeting at Muumbe Primary School. The purpose of the interface meeting was to interrogate the role of customary law and institutions of traditional leadership can play in addressing gender disparity within the community.

Traditional leaders have legitimacy on customary norms and values in the community and PYD engaged them because they play an important role in tackling social issues that include gender equality, sexual violence and harmful practices at a sub – national level. Their main function includes maintaining peace and harmony within the rural communities, hence the need to have an interface meeting with the traditional leaders in Muumbe village. 

The traditional leaders expressed their intention to work with PYD in addressing gender-based violence, promote gender equality and reduce teen pregnancy and child marriages in the district. PYD in turn asked the traditional leaders to redefine their traditional roles to include playing a greater protection role for girls and women in the community

“We have seen various organizations that come into our communities with information on gender equality and different legislation that promote gender equality. These organizations come and leave us to process the information on our own. However, today we are happy because an organization from our own community is engaging us with a view to transform our community. We embrace PYD and promise to work with you to ensure gender equality.” Reiterated Headman Zamchiya in his opening remarks. “Let us travel this journey together and see where it gets us” He added

Community court systems are principally based on the customs and practices of communities, thus allowing traditional leaders to be makers and custodians of tradition, culture and related rites. PYD notes with great satisfaction the fact that community courts are officially recognized in the Constitution and in various statutes of the country.

Customary Law and Local Courts Act (Chapter 7:05) Section 12 (1) states that; The person presiding over a local court shall exercise all the jurisdiction and powers of the court but, in the hearing of every case, shall be assisted by not fewer than two and not more than five assessors who shall be chosen by him from a list of persons prepared by him and approved by a designated officer.

It becomes imperative to ascertain the number of women selected as assessors by the “person presiding over a local court” as most cases have a bearing on girls and women. Since the system of justice usually follows customary law or an uncodified body of rules of behavior, it would not pose much difficulty to women to play a critical role in the traditional court system. The traditional court system has the potential to address some of the constraints to women’s economic, political, and social empowerment that exist in the community. 

“PYD is an organization that strongly believe in engagement with duty bearers and community leaders so that they promote positive actions addressing violence against women within their communities, and this interface meeting with traditional is ample proof of that engagement process.” Cynthia Gwenzi, PYD Gender and Advocacy Officer said. “The expectation was that this strategy would improve levels of awareness and give voice to women within the customary court set up and I believe we met that expectation.”