{"id":7412,"date":"2025-06-20T09:49:12","date_gmt":"2025-06-20T09:49:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/?p=7412"},"modified":"2025-06-20T09:49:15","modified_gmt":"2025-06-20T09:49:15","slug":"cabinet-approves-98-day-paid-maternity-leave-and-ai-powered-traffic-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/?p=7412","title":{"rendered":"Cabinet Approves 98-Day Paid Maternity Leave and AI-Powered Traffic System"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Harare Correspondent<br>Harare \u2013 The Cabinet has approved the Public Service Amendment Bill, which proposes 98 days of paid maternity leave for female employees in the public sector, marking a significant step toward improving workplace conditions for women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Under the new amendment, female employees will receive full pay during their 98-day maternity leave, up from the previous 90 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The move aligns with international labor standards and aims to support new mothers in balancing work and childcare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis amendment reflects the government\u2019s commitment to gender equality and the well-being of working mothers,\u201d said a spokesperson from the Minister of Public Service, Labour, and Social Welfare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe want to ensure that women are not forced to choose between their careers and their families.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The bill also prohibits workplace harassment and mandates non-discriminatory practices in appointments and promotions, addressing long-standing concerns over gender bias in the public sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a separate development, Cabinet endorsed a cutting-edge traffic management system developed by TelOne, Zimbabwe\u2019s state-owned telecommunications company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The AI-powered system leverages Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, big data analytics, and real-time monitoring to tackle traffic congestion, reduce accidents, and curb violations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Key features of the system include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Automated traffic monitoring to detect speeding, red-light violations, and unlicensed vehicles.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Instant e-fine issuance linked to vehicle registration databases.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Integration with national systems, including ZIMRA and the Central Vehicle Registry, to enforce compliance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis system will revolutionize traffic management in Zimbabwe by reducing human error and improving efficiency,\u201d said TelOne Spokesperson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt will also generate revenue through fines while enhancing road safety.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Labour unions have welcomed the extended maternity leave, calling it a progressive move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis is a victory for working women,\u201d said a woman activist who will not be named.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHowever, we urge the government to ensure private sector compliance as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, transport experts caution that the success of the AI traffic system will depend on proper implementation and public awareness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTechnology alone won\u2019t solve traffic problems unless there\u2019s consistent enforcement and driver education,\u201d noted an Analyst.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Public Service Amendment Bill will now proceed to Parliament for debate, while the TelOne traffic system is expected to undergo piloting in major cities before a nationwide rollout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These developments signal the government\u2019s push for both social welfare reforms and technological innovation to address key national challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What are your thoughts on these changes? Share your comments below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Zim GBC News\u00a92025<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Harare CorrespondentHarare \u2013 The Cabinet has approved the Public Service Amendment Bill, which proposes 98 days of paid maternity leave for female employees in the public sector, marking a significant&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7412"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7412\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7413,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7412\/revisions\/7413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}