Renewed militia training, shocking
The Youth Forum is shocked by a recent announcement by the Minister of Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment, Saviour Kasukuwere to the effect that Zanu PF intend to re-introduce the National Youth Training service and views the move as a sinister motive to prepare for a violent campaign to cling on to power given the party’s waning political fortunes.
The National Youth Training service program had earlier been suspended due to viability challenges and the signing of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) saw the parties agreeing that while it is desirable to have a training service for youth, this should be done in a non-partisan manner and should be free of political interference.
However, given the state of our fiscus, the Youth Forum views the re-introduction of the training service as an unnecessary burden on the country’s fiscus. While the government is failing to meet some of the basic and necessary demands and needs of youth such as decent and affordable education, gainful employment and affordable health care, it is shocking that some people can prioritise the training service given its notoriety as a paramilitary wing of Zanu PF.
Its re-introduction is obviously an affront to the national healing, reconciliation and integration agenda. How can we perpetuate the training of murderers, rapists, arsonists and anarchists when our civil servants are without adequate pay. While the Youth Forum has earlier called for a comprehensive reform and greater transparency concerning the running of these training centres, this has never been done, exposing the sinister motives behind the planned re-introduction.
The last time the centres were closed, there were media reports of hunger and starvation among the recruits, young girls were being raped and many infected with HIV as a result, while a lot more were ordered to commit heinous crimes on behalf of Zanu PF as the party sought to mitigate its waning political fortunes.
We urge the Ministry of Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment to seriously reconsider the introduction of the National Youth Training service as a matter of urgency. This ministry has never really consulted the youth themselves on whether they want this training service. Furthermore the training service is not informed by the real needs and aspirations on the ground. We reiterate our calls that any training service should be done in an open and transparent manner, free of political interference and, through a syllabus agreed by all stakeholders, critically the youth themselves.
The Youth Forum will launch a petition that will be taken to the Ministry of Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment, seeking to have this re-introduction halted until such a time when the above demands have been met and until such a time when our fiscus is stable enough to accommodate the training service. Be part of this petition and amplify the youth voice.
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