Empowering young women to tackle corruption: Transparency International Zimbabwe leads the charge
Rumbidzai Mhlanga/Province Moyo
Transparency International Zimbabwe (TIZ) recently held a two-day capacity-building workshop in Bulawayo, focused on equipping young women with the tools to combat corruption in the education and healthcare sectors.
The workshop united Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) to collaboratively tackle corruption while promoting transparency and accountability within local communities.
Duduzile Nyathi, one of the participants, highlighted the transformative impact of the training, stating that the workshop empowered her with a deeper understanding of corruption and how to address it.
“This workshop has empowered me with knowledge on how to identify and report corruption in my community. I am now confident that I can make a difference,”said Nyathi.
Charmaine Ndlovu, another attendee, echoed Nyathi’s sentiment, noting that she now understands how corruption infringes on women’s rights.
“I now understand the impact of corruption on women’s rights and how we can work together to address it,” Ndlovu added.
Social and Economic Justice Ambassador Yollanda Millin also emphasized the need to tackle corruption, particularly due to its impact on women’s rights.
“It is essential to address corruption in order to protect women’s rights. Corruption perpetuates inequality and discriminates against marginalised communities,” Millin said.
TIZ Programs Manager,Nqobani Tshabangu, spoke on the widespread nature of corruption in Zimbabwe, with specific reference to the education and healthcare systems.
“Corruption has become one of the most pervasive issues in our country, and it has also entered the education and healthcare sectors.Our studies reveal that various forms of corruption exist in the education sector, such as procurement irregularities, selection biases in the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM), and extortionate extra lessons.
There is also corruption in the healthcare sector in the diversion of drugs, so these are the realities people have been facing across the board,”he said.
Tshabangu added that the workshop aimed to enhance the capacity of CSOs and CBOs to realize the impact of corruption and develop strategies to intervene in these cases.
“The workshop was also aimed at ensuring that stakeholders such as the CSOs develop strategies to intervene in some of these cases that are in the sectors,” Tshabangu said.
