By Tatiana Mhararira
Civil Society Organizations in Masvingo are calling for the government and other interested organizations to increase awareness on the Africa Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG) in Zimbabwe.
The charter, which Zimbabwe is a signatory to, aims to promote democratic governance, transparency, accountability, and peaceful elections. However, many citizens are unaware of its existence and provisions.
This came out during a community engagement meeting recently held in Masvingo organized by the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN), bringing together stakeholders from various Civil Society Organizations, including Women’s Coalition in Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Human Rights, Progressive Teachers Union in Zimbabwe (PTUZ), Community Tolerance Reconciliation and Development Trust (COTRAD), Rural Unity for Development Organization (RUDO), and Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP).
Speaking at the meeting, ZESN Advocacy Officer Ethel Muchena said the ACDEG sought to promote several aspects within nations so there was need for Zimbabweans to be aware of the charter so that they will be able to hold office bearers to account.
“Citizens should know about ACDEG because it equips them with the knowledge of agreed principles by the African Union for the betterment of good governance, ACDEG enables people to demand the implementation of the charter in their countries and it also enables citizens to demand the alignment of ACDEG principles with domestic laws,” said Muchena.
Kudzai Gwitire of the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe suggested that ZESN should take lead in increasing access to ACDEG information through social media.
“Information should be shared on all social media platforms, and key takeaways from meetings should be shared with those who did not attend,” Gwitire said.
The ACDEG charter was adopted in 2007 and has been signed by 46 countries, with 39 ratifying it. Zimbabwe’s signing of the charter underscores the need for citizens to understand its provisions and promote democratic processes in the country.
By increasing awareness about ACDEG, Zimbabweans can hold their leaders accountable and promote good governance.
Participants agreed that wherever they do their programming, they should take it upon themselves to spread knowledge to citizens about the charter.
The charter also demands each member country to send a report after every two year and the participants also suggested that there was need to find a way for COS to compile a parallel report as well.
