Young people urged to unite

Young people in Zimbabwe have been urged to rise above political differences and work together in solving the country’s economic challenges, various speakers at a recent political parties’ forum said.

The meeting, held at Entumbane Hall on 14 March, was organised by the National Youth Development Trust (NYDT) under the topic “Can ZIMASSETT bring transformation to Bulawayo industries and reduce youth unemployment?”

Fortune Mlalazi of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said it was encouraging that youth in Zimbabwe are now able to sit together and discuss policy issues. “We are now at a time where youth in Zimbabwe are now able to sit and discuss issues together which is commendable.

“I would like to urge young people to have a cross political agenda so that we can create a just and a fair society for ourselves,” he said.

The meeting was also attended by representatives from MDC-T, Zanu PF and ZAPU.  Hector Chikowore, the national youth spokesperson of ZAPU said, “We must do away with polarisation.  We shouldn't just differ with someone just because they are from a rival political organisation. If an idea is good, let’s support it if it’s not, let’s improve it.

“Together we can release the country from its (economic) shackles” Chikowore said.  

Kunashe Muchemwa of the MDC-T echoed the same sentiments, adding that youths should be adventurous and take initiatives. He added that if ZIMASSET does not work, then young people should work together and bring alternative solutions as a means of developing the nation.

The meeting was attended by 109 youths from Entumbane, Emakhandeni and Pumula.

NYDT hosts political parties forum

The continued failure to implement devolution of power, as enshrined in Chapter 14 of Zimbabwe’s new constitution is unlawful. This is one of the messages that came out during a political parties forum that was organised by the National Youth Development Trust (NYDT) at St Peter’s Hall in Pumula, last week.

The lively meeting was attended by 52 youths from and around Pumula areas in Bulawayo.

Godwin Phiri, director of the youth group, Intscha.com said, “As things stand, devolution of power is hanging. It is there in the new Constitution but it’s not there on the ground and yet it’s almost a year since we’ve had the new Constitution.

“It would have been good if the political parties that are in parliament were present here today to explain to us why we have this delay. What is happening is actually a violation of the Constitution.”

Celani Ncube, representing the Welshman Ncube led MDC, said the reason why devolution of power is not being realised is because of the way people voted and people should be prepared to live with their choices.  Ncube also stressed that the concept of devolution is for all Zimbabweans and not for the people of Matabeleland only.

“We never said the country should be divided, devolution of power means power to the people. It simply means that power should go down to the provinces, where people live.

“Devolution of power is not about Matabeleland only, even people in Marange should benefit from it and have a say in their diamonds.  Living from government hand-outs is not sustainable,” Ncube said.

Hector Chikowore of ZAPU said he believed that devolution can still be achieved and urged all the youth to rise above party politics because no one is less Zimbabwean because they belong to a different political party.

“Can devolution be achieved? Yes, because I believe in Zimbabweans. The chance is still there. We must galvanise ourselves as the youth and put pressure on our Members of Parliament.

“There is need for people to speak with one voice, different political parties and civil society should all work together for devolution to be implemented,” Chikowore added.

Representatives of Zanu PF and MDC-T were not present at the meeting, despite having been invited to the forum meeting.

NYDT Donates to Tsholotsho Flood Victims

The National Youth Development Trust (NYDT) recently donated food and clothing to victims of floods in Tsholotsho, Sipepa Village development. The donations were made in response to an outcry from villagers in Tsholotsho that little was being done to alleviate their plight.

The Director of NYDT, Mr. Liberty Bhebhe said, although the organisation is not a humanitarian one, it could not ignore the plight of the flood victims as a community the organisation works with.

“We were moved by the insignificant level of assistance that these people have been getting from Government that is why we decided to take action and, make our own contribution. So members of the NYDT have donated clothes and food, which we have since handed over to the villagers,” said Bhebhe.

He further called on young people to take up social responsibility by volunteering to assist some of the villagers, particularly the vulnerable.

“We have a lot of elderly people that are unable to rebuild their homes even after being given new land in which to rebuild. I therefore encourage all young people to take up the kind of leadership we always call upon as NYDT and help out these people,” he added.

The National Youth Development Trust The is a youth-focused civil society organization whose mission is to develop sustainable leadership qualities in young people for their effective contribution to education, the economy, politics, culture, health and agriculture to enhance the quality of their and the countries’ well being. It has been operating in Tsholotsho as part of its project areas since 2011.

 

Tsholotsho flood victims call for help

A recent visit to Sipepa Village in Tsholotsho revealed that a number of villagers are living in destitution after surviving the Floods that have been affecting the area since the start of the rainy season.

The floods have not only destroyed shelter for the villagers, but have also affected the villagers’ access to food, and other critical services. An elderly man in the village narrates how the flood may have affected him for the rest of his life.

“Mina sengigugile mntanami njengoba ubona. amandla okwakha angiselawo. Yebo ye, basiphile indawo lapho esingakha khona, kodwa kambe ngingakhona ngiqala ukugamula izigodo namuhla? Angisenelisi. kungangcono ngibuyele khonaphana ngiyezama ukuvuselela, (As you can see, I am now too old to start trying to build a new home. Even though we have been given new land where we can rebuild, I no longer the strength to look for the necessary resources so I would rather wait for the rains to stop then go back to see if I can do with whatever remains at my old home.)” he says.

Another family affected by the floods lament the fact that they only have one small tent donated by the Civil Protection Unit (CPU) yet they are a family that constitutes 5 adult members and 3 children.

“We are very grateful for the donation of tents that we received but these were not really enough for bigger families like ours. Apart from the size of the tent, there are issues of privacy that we need to consider, it is difficult for us to deal with that when its bed time, “he said adding that mainly the adults just sleep outside and put the children in the tent but the problem is that it is still raining.

The families are also affected by lack of food as foodstuffs in the rural areas are kept in barns and these were also destroyed by the flood and the food washed away.  Even the crops in the fields remain submerged in water and some have been swept away. Livestock also remains at risk as rivers are overflowing.

Despite the direness of the situation, little help is being given to the surviving villagers, an issue that has raised concern among human rights organisations and activists. The National Youth Development Trust (NYDT) is thus engaging on an awareness raising campaign to bring out the major issues that these villagers are facing as a result of the floods.  This is expected to help contribute to the amount of help that various institutions will chanell towards the Tsholotsho community.

 

Young People Castigate Move To Arrest Youth Fund Defaulters

Young people have described as unfair the threats by CABS and CBZ to take legal action against youths who have failed to pay back loans received under the youth development fund. Some of them argue that merely allocating the youths money based on their project proposals without assessing their capacity to run a viable business was a trap for young people.       

“The young people were not capacitated, making the implementation of these projects very difficult. They ended up misusing the funds,” said Jacqueline Ndlovu a young woman residing in Mpopoma.

She added that the Zimbabwean education system was teaching people to be employees and not employers and that indigenisation and empowerment was being treated as an event not a process, a point that the Government is missing.

Adding to that, Ndaba Mloyi, a corporate banker and National Youth Development Trust (NYDT) board treasurer said; “Unless and until we recognise that the problem facing SMEs and start-ups is not just money, and then we will always throw money at them and throw them in jail when they fail to pay back.

He added that the starting point was to realise that not all young Zimbabweans are entrepreneurs, and that people without business skills require a lot of capacitation and hand holding for them to develop the capacity to run businesses profitably and sustainably.

“Therefore any program that seeks to empower youths through enterprise development must start with identifying real entrepreneurs not just unemployed youths with some project. Once they have been identified, a holistic approach to arm them with technical and business management skills, in addition to giving them seed capital, has to be adopted, “ said Mloyi.

He proposed business incubation as the ideal model for such youth empowerment projects in Zimbabwe.

Other young people argued that the amounts given to young people as loans were barely enough to set up a viable income generation project.

“Honestly how did you expect youths to start and run a project with $2000? The economy itself was not conducive for new businesses. It was an unfair political gimmick to lure the youth to a certain political party so as to use them,” said Lindiwe Maphosa from Gwanda.  However other youths argued that vendors were making a living from capital which is far less than $2 000 and other viable businesses were probably started with less than that.

Some young people also felt that the failure to pay back the loans had nothing to do with failed income generation projects but was a reflection of the culture of impunity that has been embraced in Zimbabwe.

“The cancer of impunity is now raising its ugly head. The practise has been that individuals take loans from banks and they never repay. So some youths thought the practice was still the same. I do not think it’s all about capacity, maybe to a lesser extent but mostly its patronage and impunity, “said Michael Mdladla Ndiweni from Bulawayo.    

“I feel sorry for the poor youths who are now victims of a system that nurtured them. But I doubt anything will happen to them. The government will probably encourage them to pay then the issue will die a natural death,” he added.

Egodini Refurbishment Project: Youths Fear Marginalisation

Following reports on the progress made with regards to the looming $56 million shopping complex project at Egodini bus terminus, the National Youth Development Trust (NYDT) took time to seek opinions of young people on the potential benefits of the project.

Some of the youths expressed doubt that the project will be of direct benefit to them unless they strategically position themselves with immediate effect.

“It is very difficult for me to conclude that the project will benefit young people, because certainly residents have no control on employment criteria, maybe those that have joined strategic associations will be benefit by acquiring some stalls and shops in the shopping complex,” said Michael Ndiweni.

He added that it would be of paramount importance that different associations engage the company contracted to do the construction to ensure that local young people access jobs at the construction site.

“We have seen some companies importing labour from other regions to do menial jobs in Bulawayo that do not even require particular skills. So it’s important that action be taken now to guard against that. I would propose that an employment bureau be set up for residents to pool CV’s together and when the malls opens they just forward files with CVs from young people who are locals for consideration to whoever will be operating a shop in the shopping complex or  international bus terminus,” added Ndiweni.

Other young people also emphasised that there is need for them to collectively approach the Bulawayo City Council to make an arrangement for local youths to be awarded employment opportunities from the project.

“I think there is need for young people to work with youth focused organisations like NYDT to engage council and demand a stake and quota on the allocation of space and jobs in the new complex,” said Alfred Ncube.

We have capable, qualified and experienced young people in various fields throughout the 29 wards in Bulawayo. All these people can provide labour for the project. We even have people that have been operating as vendors at the terminus since ages ago; they must be given first preference when it comes to allocation of vending stalls. I think we need to seriously guard against corruption in the project,” said Mpumelelo Ncube, a former youth councillor.

Nqobile Malikongwa said that for young people to simply wait to be left out before they take action will not benefit them in any way.

“We cannot wait until the damage has been done and we cannot just sit and complain. We need to be proactive and make sure that the potential for marginalisation is completely dealt with before the project even begins, that is the only way we can guarantee our benefit from the project,” he said.

The Bulawayo City Council recently announced the identified temporary sites that would be used as commuter omnibus termini and vending sites for those currently operating at Basch Street Terminus popularly known as Egodini.