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Activity
update - Week ending 15 December 2012
Bulawayo Agenda
December 17, 2012
Election
preparedness meeting
Community leaders,
residents and youths attended a community Election Multi-stakeholders
meeting organised by Bulawayo Agenda last Friday in Bulawayo. The
meeting was civic education; that is to share information on registration
and voting to empower communities to register as voters ahead of
next year's watershed elections.
Youths expressed
concerns on the registration process demands which they said were
frustrating especially the need to produce proof of residence. Participants
called on the government to consider the Diaspora vote for those
in Diaspora to exercise their right to vote. Participants also raised
concerns on the growing trend of forcing uniformed forces to vote
under the watch of their superiors which takes away their right
to choose whom they want to vote for.
Participants
were urged to register to vote so as to elect leaders who will promote
social change in their communities. Voting would also empower communities
to hold accountable the people they would have voted into office.
Critical information on registration, voting and key political developments
was collected and shared to inform advocacy and CSO program focus.
Re-thinking
Local Government in Zimbabwe consultative meeting
Bulawayo Agenda
in partnership with the Combined Harare Residents Association held
a public consultation meeting on the Urban
Councils Act (UCA) Amendment Bill under the title: Rethinking
Local Government in Zimbabwe last Thursday.
The meeting
brought together residents of Bulawayo including Youths and women
from different wards. Some of the major points of discussion were
the Minister of local government's powers to appoint 'Special
Councillors', the need to constitutionalise the UCA, the powers
of the Minister given by the Local Government Laws Amendment Act
and possible measures that can be put in place to promote accountability
and transparency in the Local Government.
The deliberations
from this meeting and other similar meetings held around the country
shall feed into a paper aimed at informing the Parliamentary debate
on Urban Councils Act (Private Members Bill) scheduled for February
2013.
International
Human Rights Day Commemorations
More than 100
youths, civic society representatives and a representative of the
local Councillor (ward 28) attended an International Human Rights
Day commemoration organised Bulawayo Agenda in partnership with
Zimbabwe Association
for Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR) at Mahlathini Primary School
in Cowdray Park last Saturday.
ZimRights,
Radio
Dialogue, National
Youths Development Trust (NYDT) and ZADHR gave solidarity messages
challenging youths to register to vote. Youths were urged to participate
in development processes starting at community level as this is
their democratic right.
The event was
in the form of a musical gala where various youth groups from Cowdray
Park performed songs, dances and modelling with winners getting
various prizes.
Statistics show
that out of the more than 60% youth population in the country, only18%
voted in the last election. The International Human Rights Day is
held every year on the 10th of December and this years' theme
was "Declaration of Human Right".
Visit the Bulawayo
Agenda fact sheet
Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.
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