Platform For Youth and Community Development - PYCD

ZLHR and PYCD Engage Community Radio to Strengthen Public Participation in Chipinge

The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), working in close collaboration with the Platform for Youth and Community Development (PYCD), has intensified efforts to promote public participation and legal awareness in Chipinge through community radio engagement initiatives. The partnership reflects a shared commitment to empowering communities with information and knowledge that enables citizens to actively engage in public policy and legislative processes.

The two organisations believe that informed communities are better positioned to influence governance and development outcomes that directly affect their lives. As part of this initiative, ZLHR and PYCD have identified community radio stations as strategic and accessible platforms capable of amplifying civic education, legal literacy, and inclusive dialogue at grassroots level. Particular attention has been directed towards discussions around the proposed Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 (CAB 3), which has generated significant public interest across the country.

Through an interactive radio dialogue series hosted on Vemuganga Community Radio, ZLHR is represented by its award-winning Projects Lawyer Tatenda Sigauke, while PYCD is represented by Community Champion Claris Madhuku. The programme was designed to reach approximately 20,000 listeners per episode, but the impact has already exceeded expectations, with the first dialogue series attracting more than 50,000 listeners through live broadcasts and social media engagement.

During the dialogue session held on 13 May 2026, discussions focused on Section 141 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, which provides for public participation as a constitutionally guaranteed right in legislative and policy-making processes. The programme generated extensive listener feedback and highlighted several barriers that continue to weaken meaningful citizen participation. These include disruptions during public hearings, limited access to consultation venues, and allegations of intimidation targeting participants during national consultations.

The dialogue further reflected on experiences witnessed during consultations around the Private Voluntary Organisations (PVO) Amendment Bill, now enacted into law, as well as the ongoing engagements on Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3. In Chipinge, participants expressed concern that public hearings held at Rimbi MDA Hall were inaccessible to many citizens from distant communities such as Mahenye and Musirizwi, thereby limiting broader community representation.

ZLHR and PYCD acknowledged the growing importance of community radios as trusted platforms that bridge information gaps between policymakers and ordinary citizens. Community radio continues to emerge as a powerful force for civic engagement by providing safe, inclusive, and culturally relevant spaces where communities can freely express their concerns, ask questions, and contribute to national conversations. Unlike conventional communication channels that often exclude rural populations, community radio reaches diverse audiences across age groups, literacy levels, and digital access divides.

As a result of the growing public response, the dialogue resolved to expand civic education and public participation programmes through community radio platforms such as Vemuganga Community Radio. The station currently reaches at least 60,000 listeners during live broadcasts and up to 100,000 through recorded rebroadcasts and digital sharing. Its overall audience, including social media engagement on Facebook, YouTube, and WhatsApp platforms, is estimated to exceed 200,000 people.

The longstanding partnership between ZLHR and PYCD, which spans over 15 years, continues to demonstrate tangible impact within communities in Chipinge. Through this collaboration, many vulnerable families have accessed free legal services, particularly in cases involving land displacements and dispossessions. The partnership has also strengthened community confidence and legal awareness, especially among women, who are increasingly participating in policy discussions and articulating their concerns during meetings with government officials, policymakers, and development partners.

The collaboration between ZLHR, PYCD, and community radio platforms represents an evolving model of participatory development where access to information, legal education, and open dialogue are being used as tools to strengthen democracy, accountability, and inclusive governance at community level.
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Media Centre - Zimbabwe
Plan International Zimbabwe
Alliance of Community Based Organisations - ACBOs
MISA Zimbabwe
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