{"id":116402,"date":"2026-04-11T18:58:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T16:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/zgc-merger-proposal-sparks-outrage-over-gender-equality"},"modified":"2026-04-11T21:17:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T19:17:54","slug":"zgc-merger-proposal-sparks-outrage-over-gender-equality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/zgc-merger-proposal-sparks-outrage-over-gender-equality","title":{"rendered":"ZGC Merger Proposal Sparks Outrage Over Gender Equality"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. <\/strong><\/span>THE proposed merger of the Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC) with the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission has triggered widespread debate, with critics warning it could weaken gender equality protections.<\/p>\n

Critics argue that merging the ZGC into a broader human rights body risks diluting its mandate, weakening accountability mechanisms, and reversing hard-won gains in advancing gender equality, especially when the commission is already struggling with limited funding and institutional independence.<\/p>\n

Women in Politics Support Network director Sakhile Ngoma questioned the government\u2019s intentions behind the proposal, describing it as a setback for women\u2019s rights.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe merger proposal is untenable and raises serious concerns about the government\u2019s commitment to gender equality,\u201d Ngoma said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not about the money; it\u2019s about undermining the progress made in promoting women\u2019s rights.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ngoma said the ZGC was created under the 2013 Constitution to address systemic inequalities, but has consistently been underfunded.<\/p>\n

She noted that the commission was allocated just 0,02% of the 2026 National Budget, which she said reflects a lack of political will to prioritise gender equality.<\/p>\n

Despite financial constraints, Ngoma said the commission has made notable progress in engaging stakeholders and supporting government efforts to address inequality.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Gender Commission has consistently punched above its weight class, and it\u2019s worrying that the government wants to undermine its work,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Ngoma called for clear and public clarification from the government regarding the rationale behind the proposed merger, insisting that the independence of the ZGC must be protected.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to ensure that the ZGC remains an independent institution, able to hold the government accountable for its commitments to gender equality,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Zimbabwe<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. THE proposed merger of the Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC) with the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission has triggered widespread debate, with critics warning it could weaken gender equality protections. Critics argue that merging the ZGC into a broader human rights body risks diluting its mandate, weakening accountability mechanisms, and reversing hard-won gains in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":116401,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,12],"tags":[19],"class_list":["post-116402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-zimbabwe"],"yoast_head":"\nZGC Merger Proposal Sparks Outrage Over Gender Equality - zimbabwe<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"THE proposed merger of the Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC) with the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission has triggered wide ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/zgc-merger-proposal-sparks-outrage-over-gender-equality\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"ZGC Merger Proposal Sparks Outrage Over Gender Equality\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"THE proposed merger of the Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC) with the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission has triggered wide ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/zgc-merger-proposal-sparks-outrage-over-gender-equality\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"zimbabwe\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-11T16:58:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-11T19:17:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/sites\/14\/2026\/04\/sm_1775935043.067952.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1556\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1167\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/zgc-merger-proposal-sparks-outrage-over-gender-equality#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/zgc-merger-proposal-sparks-outrage-over-gender-equality\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"ZGC Merger Proposal Sparks Outrage Over Gender Equality\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-11T16:58:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-11T19:17:54+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/zgc-merger-proposal-sparks-outrage-over-gender-equality\"},\"wordCount\":290,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/zgc-merger-proposal-sparks-outrage-over-gender-equality#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/sites\/14\/2026\/04\/sm_1775935043.067952.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Zimbabwe\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/zgc-merger-proposal-sparks-outrage-over-gender-equality#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/zgc-merger-proposal-sparks-outrage-over-gender-equality\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/zgc-merger-proposal-sparks-outrage-over-gender-equality\",\"name\":\"ZGC Merger Proposal Sparks Outrage Over Gender Equality - 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