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 Senior Reporter 

Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona has appointed more women to boards of institutions under his Ministry in a move designed to ensure balance in gender representation in public entities. 

Additional board members were appointed to Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ), National Handling Service (NHS), Airports Company of Zimbabwe (ACZ), National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) and the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ). 

Minister Mhona appointed Mr Kura Sibanda as the TSCZ chairperson and he will be deputised by Mrs Felie Chikowero Mjanga. 

Additional TSCZ bord members are Ms Zvichanzii Venancia Mugota and Ms Loveness Masuka-Dumwa who has been transferred from CAAZ to the TSCZ with immediate effect 

Ms Theresa Rovodza has been appointed NHS deputy chairperson, while Ms Caroline Rudo Mudenda and Ms Margaret Mantiziba have been appointed as board members. 

Ms Molly Dingane was appointed as an additional board member for the NRZ, while Dr James Tsabora and Ms Faith Chiwungwe have been appointed as ACZ board members. 

Mr Maxmore Njanji is a new CAAZ board member. 

 Mr Sibanda pledged to work hard in line with the National Development Strategy 1 saying: “We promise to discharge our responsibilities to the utmost of our abilities, with humility and sincerity, and to always be guided by the interests and needs of our Government and all the people that we serve. 

“We strongly believe our common aspirations and goals will be achieved through support from and mutual cooperation with all of you, and our work and that of our institutions will be conducted on the principles of integrity, transparency and accountability. 

“We will also place special emphasis on results-based institutional direction and leadership of our various agencies as espoused in the National Development Strategy 1,” he said. 

NHS board member Mrs Mantiziba said she was honoured to be part of the women who had been elevated by the President to higher positions. 

“We will work to ensure our nation prospers and that our communities succeed,” she said. 

Mrs Chikowero Mjanga said women were capable of delivering. 

“I want to thank the President and Government for realising the need to uplift more women and raise them to influential positions,” she said. 

Minister Mhona said President Mnangagwa had approved the appointment of additional board members who will contribute significantly to the success of the public entities that they are going to serve. 

 “Some of the boards had remained with only half of the stipulated number, such that it was difficult for it to execute its statutory mandate due to difficulties in constituting a quorum at board. 

“The Second Republic, under the able leadership of President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Dr ED Mnangagwa should be commended for its concerted efforts to improve legislative, institutional and policy frameworks aimed at accelerating the achievement of gender equality. 

“I have heeded the call by the President to adopt measures and take concrete steps to appoint more women than men to ensure that we reach a balance in gender representation in the Boards of Public Entities,” he said. 

Minister Mhona urged the new board members to desist from engaging in corrupt activities as the wrath of the law will catch up with them. 

“It is not business as usual in the Second Republic. Good corporate governance principles are a cardinal pillar of your practice going forward. 

“As you may be aware, public entities have of late been singled out as nursery beds of corruption, with nepotism, rent seeking behaviours and outrageous executive compensation as some of the attendant notorious transgressions associated with them. 

“Let us be warned that the second Republic does not brook any acts of corruption as it has adopted a “zero tolerance to corruption” policy,” he said.