Zanu PF should stop abusing youths

By Tallent Chingovo

It is beyond any rational disputation that Zanu PF is pinning its hopes of a successful self revival, from its “Lazarus moment” on violence and intimidation in the next coming elections, the same way they did in June 2008 hence the stinky call for elections now before and without any constitutional changes, media, electoral and security sector reforms.

The recent utterances against Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai by the self proclaimed, de facto army spokesman, one Douglas Nyikayaramba is a clear confirmation that the securocrats are ready to help Zanu PF achieve that.

As the election chorus echoes all over Zimbabwe, the former ruling party is quite aware and convinced that the chances of victory in a free and fair election are neither here nor there, hence the fear of reforms and the oiling of all violence machinery including the youth militia.

Any close and objective retrospection of Zanu PF’s history and contemporary politics indicates that the party has a penchant of abusing the youths as weapons of violence. On Thursday the former ruling party bussed thugs, crooks and gangsters to go and disrupt the US Ambassador Charles Ray’s meeting in Kwekwe.

The same happened in Mutare and Masvingo where the Human Rights Bill public hearing meetings failed to proceed because of the same reasons. It’s all chaos in Zimbabwe, touts masquerading as war veterans invaded the august house assaulting MPs and journalists and all the drama was in the eyes of the police. Surely real war veterans will never do that for they know what they fought for.

The deplorable, unfortunate and regrettable incidences took place at a time when the Minister of Youth Development, Indigenization and Empowerment, Saviour Kasukuwere is proposing for the revival of the infamous National Youth Policy (NYP). Of cause, like all Zanu PF initiated proposals, it glitters only on paper but the implementation is going to be chaotic and brutal as usual.

Indeed Zanu PF has a record of parading slogans and its violence programs as policies. The idea of NYP is not unique to Zimbabwe only as history and records have it that the program has been a successful story in other states including other African nations such as Kenya and Nigeria. What is only unique about the Zimbabwe’s NYP is that unlike in other nations where it succeeded, here it is a systematic indoctrination exercise where the youths are schooled to be intolerant and violent towards dissenting voice and opponents.

Even the curriculum is never lined along lines of core values, such as the “promotion of national identity, unity, oneness, patriotism, self reliance, discipline and vigilance against crime”. This program which once ran between 2001-2007 expressed some yawning irregularities in all senses.

“Recruitment was done through Zanu PF district party offices, the curriculum discriminated against marginalized and other interest groups, there were a militarized style of running the program, widespread allegation of sexual and drug abuse……” (The Independent, Abuse as Zanu PF Seeks Youth Service Revival, 15/07/2011) These were the same youths who abducted, maimed and killed innocent people in the bloody 27 June 2008 Presidential runoff.

The political demagogues in Zanu PF want to maintain the perpetuation of Youths abuse by manufacturing external enemies (EU, USA, and Britain), then mobilize them into militia groups along false programs disguised as “defending the independence and sovereignty of the state”. Opponents are regarded as threat to state security and as such should be crushed.

The so-called youth empowerment programs have done nothing in terms of real empowerment to the targeted group besides turning youths into unlawful acts of barbarism manifesting itself in a number of very funny Zanu PF masterminded programs such as the chaotic land reform, NYP, anti-sanctions marches, ant-sanction petition, upfumi kuvadiki etc.

The majority of such programs are slogans paraded as policies without any benefit to the youths. These slogans have done nothing to counter real challenges facing the youths, HIV and AIDS, unemployment and poverty, marginalization on economic and political matters etc. Instead Zanu PF, as a system exhibits the escalation and perpetuation of these challenges.

According to Zanu PF type of empowerment/indigenization, Chinese empowerment is Youth empowerment no wonder why the party continues to carry chaotic policies similar to the May 2005 Operation Murambatsvina, which sabotaged the indigenous black population including the youths.

Prominent scholars such as Makumbe, Sachikonye and Masunungure agree on the view that “the clean-up campaign was motivated by the government’s quest to create space for Chinese businesses in urban centers because it targeted informal traders and small enterprises of which these were areas apparently dominated by the Youths who were self employed. (Trust Mvutungayi, China in Zimbabwe: Exploring the Political and Economic Impacts of Chinese Engagement in the Zimbabwean Crisis).

The Asian tigers(Chinese) are feasting undisturbed over the bounteous natural resources in Zimbabwe  all in the name of Indigenization yet most of the youths cross the crocodile infested Limpopo river, using undesignated and dangerous points in search of greener pastures.

There in South Africa they are subjected to all sorts of harassment including being subjected to xenophobic attacks and deportations and those left at home are recruited into militia groups, trained and turned into criminals for political gains.

The whole world witnessed a looting spree against foreign owned businesses in Harare and Bulawayo in the first few months of 2011 by Zanu PF youths whose minds have been brainwashed into looters and thieves as the only way of survival. So dear reader it’s your chance to make your judgment as to who really is a real threat to state security.

History has it that Zanu PF does not respect the youths and the party’s decision making structure exhibits a clear testimony to this. The youths in Zanu PF have little or no input in decision making processes. The party’s highest position for the youths, the Secretary for Youths, currently held by Absalom Sikhosana has never been given to any young person. The old person who takes this position is not even voted for it at the Youth League’s Congress, he/she is handpicked by the President.

This clearly shows that “decisions by the youth arm of the party are attitudes and wishes of the old foes….” Even on matters of employment, reward and patronage ensures youth remain dependant on party leadership. “Jobs in government are channeled through the party as rewards for hard work, mostly to youth leaders , who in turn keep control over the rest through promises of similar rewards”.(http://.www.AllAfrica Files, The Problem of Youths in Mugabe’s Zimbabwe). 

The foregoing situation is currently brewing unnecessary tension and conflict in the shaky Inclusive government where Zanu PF is trying to protect some of its beneficiaries stealing from the government coffers who are on public service payroll as “Youth Officers” yet they are ghost workers. Youths should be empowered to be academically and technically equipped to support themselves without being manipulated and abused by fake politicians. Anyone who abuse and manipulate the youths is not only a threat to the youths but to state security.

As we approach election time, real youths should stand up to be counted. They should stand up to protect and defend their communities and parents not harassing them only to impress the unconcerned greedy politicians who falsely believe that everything that glitters should be seen on their shirts. Real youths should be inspired by the spirit of fore brothers and sisters, the spirit of camaraderie and patriotism, who stood at the fore front of the liberation struggle as effective battalions of resistance.

Youths should be agents of change, development and prosperity and stand as custodians of national values not of immorality and barbaric behavior. Zanu PF should stop creating a rebel movement style where it intentionally disempowers the youths to create for itself a fertile source of rebels who will without any option be ready to be conscripted so that they can have access to crumbs falling from the table of their bosses. 

The nation needs young blood ready to look straight in the eyes of the beast and tell them that enough is enough, not fake and mentally colonized people who stand aside and celebrate as their future is plundered. Not people who conspire with the ailing, Zanu PF to destroy the future today through nefarious slogans paraded as policies.

After all is said and done, real youths should register, vote and be voted into office in the next coming elections because “there is nothing for us without us”. Vibrant and robust youth participation is a vanguard of independence which Zanu PF is desperately trying to steal away from the youth community by abusing the latter as violence machinery.

Youth participation cannot be defined within the context of toy-toying, sloganeering, looting, stone throwing and raising hate-speech placards in the streets of Harare and Parliament. It goes beyond that. Youths are leaders for today and tomorrow and can, without fail define their destiny which should never be corrupted by hypocrites and sycophants whose wish is to cling to power even through nefarious means.

Tallent Chingovo is a senior member of the MDC-T Youth Assembly.