Africa-Press – Zambia. The Zambia National Women’s Lobby has called on the incoming government to consider appointing 50 percent women in various decision-making positions once the President-elect is inaugurated.
Women’s Lobby Chairperson Beauty Katebe said appointments to cabinet and provincial ministerial positions and other government positions should consist of an equal number of women and men.
Speaking in an interview with ZANIS, Ms. Katebe said the incoming head of state should consider Article 259 (b) of the Constitution of Zambia which empowers the appointing authority to select people in positions on a 50-50 basis.
She said there was a need for women to be equally represented in different positions of influence, in line with regional and global benchmarks. “We need to see a balanced appointment in terms of the Permanent Secretaries and other positions the President will be mandated to appoint. We expect a lot of things from the new government,” Ms. Katebe said.
And on the decision by the incoming government to ban cadres from the markets and bus stations, Ms. Katebe said she expects this to be actualized expeditiously. She lamented that many women have been terrified by the behaviour of cadres in bus stations, markets and other trading places.
“We do not expect the issue of cadres behaving in the manner they have been acting. That is not correct. We do not expect to be harassed by cadres anymore,” she said.
