We Are Not Motivated To Vote: Binga Youths

Youths in Binga have cited several reasons for their lack of interest in electoral processes, key amongst them being the fact that political parties usually field candidates who are not from Binga and therefore do not understand and prioritise their needs.

As such, these leaders have made little or no efforts in contributing towards community development. They said that the elected leaders are not accountable to the electorate but only go back to their constituencies to solicit for votes towards elections. These sentiments were raised by youths at a leadership training workshop organised by National Youth Development Trust (NYDT). The youths told the meeting that Lusulu is one of the most underdeveloped areas of Binga and their elected leaders have done little to improve the situation.

“Lusulu seems like a forgotten area, as it is we have no idea who our Member of Parliament is. They only come to our constituencies when they want us to vote for them,” said a participant at the workshop.

The area suffers from a poor road network that has crippled all other avenues of development. The youths applauded the NYDT for making efforts of bringing civic activity to their area, saying that they have minimal engagements with NGOs probably because their area is remote. As such, this has led to a situation in which the youths have been starved of information on contemporary affairs. The youths stated that bad roads and geographic location of Lusulu was said to be part of the reasons why the youths there have limited access to information. 

 “One of the reasons why we do not participate in these processes is that we have no source of information or any knowledge of what is happening in the country. By the time we get to hear about some things they would have long been completed. We desperately need a way of bringing such information to us in time so that we can contribute effectively,” said Cynthia Nhomwe.

The youths further appealed to the organisation to set up a library at Lusulu High School and to regularly supply them with information material that will keep them up to date on Zimbabwe’s socio-economic and political affairs.  

Contrary to the Government stipulation that there must be a primary and secondary school within a five kilometre radius, the closest school to Lusulu High is 12 kilometres away. This is adversely affecting the quality and levels of education in Binga, thus negatively contributing to their poor pass rates and ultimately participation in key processes.  Young people at the workshop also expressed ignorance about the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) which is meant to develop the area cannot be accounted for as youths have little to no knowledge of how it was used.

 “It is difficult for us to go and vote as most people who want to be our leaders are not interested in developing our area. As it is, we have no knowledge of what the constituency development fund was used for. It is evident that Lusulu has never been prioritised in terms of development as shown by the poor road network and few schools,” said Toonse Mutale a youth from the area.

Of the forty (40) workshop participants, only six (06) were registered voters despite the fact that the registration centre is accessible to them.