In the Save basin, women project a future in water governance

Editor Enviro April 30, 2026 in Politics, Top Story - 2 Minutes

By Moses Ziyambi

Many women in the Mutirikwi and Tokwe sub-catchment councils have begun exploring leadership opportunities in water governance at the village and ward levels.

This shift comes as an inclusivity project, implemented by EnviroPress Zimbabwe, gains momentum.

With support from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), EnviroPress is working across the Chivi, Gutu, and Zaka districts. The initiative focuses on developing inclusive leadership capacities, enabling women to assume greater responsibility in local community water management.

The project employs a multi-step approach involving participatory field assessments to identify specific needs and gaps, leadership and advocacy training sessions, and mentorship identification to inform a long-term strategy and action plan.

Currently, there is a demonstrable improvement in perceptions of gender equality in water resource management among participants in these largely patriarchal rural communities. Notably, traditional leaders and ward councillors have pledged to ensure that women and young people are represented in ward committees, water user committees, and village development committees.

“As the chairperson of ward development projects, I want to ensure that our young people and women are not left behind in those committees. That is the least I can do as a public representative,” said Zaka Ward 22 Councillor Steven Paradza.

This sentiment was echoed by Village Head Bernard Kubvoruno, who emphasised that women require targeted training to boost their confidence when bidding for office.

“We need to support women and create training opportunities for them so they are better prepared to handle new responsibilities, Kubvoruno said.

Through close collaboration, the project has also assisted the two sub-catchment councils in improving the implementation of their internal gender-inclusive policies and practices.

While community enthusiasm remains high, the project’s current scope is limited to two rivers within the Save River Basin. This basin is a complex system comprising dozens of rivers and streams, managed through 25 micro-catchment sub-zones in Zimbabwe alone. Consequently, EnviroPress Zimbabwe plans to expand its work incrementally to eventually cover the entire basin.