The
following article was submitted to NYDT by a young resident of Bulawayo.
The
closure of industries in Bulawayo has made youths resort to illicit deals as a
way of generating income.
Such
petty dealings and activities have degraded the values and the moral fibre of
the society. As evidenced in cases where the youths have turned into
prostitution and thievery with an aim of making ends meet. Such cases cannot be
ignored especially by any serious nation that hopes to invest in the youths who
constitute the majority of the population.
Owing
to the various challenges in the industrial sector, levels of migration have
increased owing to high levels of unemployment. A case in point is the high
levels of illegal cross boarders in Beitbridge and Plumtree border posts.
According to the news statistics, nearly 2000 people cross the border to South
Africa whilst the same figure is noted on those that use official routes. Such
statistics paint a gruesome picture on the international picture of Zimbabwe
and shows an economy that has dismally failed to set out policies to
effectively support its own people.
In
the political scene de-industrialisation has further increased the
susceptibility of the youths to be used as pawns to fulfil political gains. The
reduced space of economic survival for youths has further ensured that they
slowly depend on the mercy of political parties or political candidates. This
scenario has left youths vulnerable to exploitation by the political structure,
in some cases being forced to ferment violence and intimidate other political
players and citizens.
It is such cases that clearly show that the
vibrancy and energy of the youths has not been fruitfully channelled towards
economic growth, but rather, has been used for unorthodox practices. Therefore,
far from viewing the aspect of de-industrialisation in the ethno centricism matra
nor in the leftist state, the nation as a whole ought to view its ripple
effects to the most populous constituency, the youths.
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