The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN), in collaboration with the Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ) and UN Women, convened a high-level dialogue titled ‘Electoral Reform Through a Gender Lens: Insights from Malawi, South Africa, and Namibia’, at Monomotapa Hotel in Harare on 27 October 2025. The workshop brought together over 40 participants drawn from women’s organizations, civil society, academia, media, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, the Zimbabwe Gender Commission and other electoral experts with the aim of examining regional experiences and best practices to inform gender-inclusive electoral reforms in Zimbabwe.
ZESN Executive Director Mrs. Rindai Chipfunde-Vava opened the workshop by outlining the objectives, which included identifying best practices in gender-inclusive electoral strategies and policies from other jurisdictions towards enhancing women’s participation in the electoral process locally.
UN Women Representative Mrs. Fadzai Traquino, made introductory remarks, framing the discussions within the regional electoral reform landscape. In her presentation, Mrs. Traquino provided a comparative overview of recent electoral legal reforms in Malawi, South Africa, Namibia, and Mozambique, highlighting both progress and persisting gender gaps. She noted that while many of the 2023–2025 legal amendments in these countries aimed at strengthening procedural fairness, transparency, and administrative efficiency, most lacked explicit gender provisions.
