Youth convergence a crucial part of the opposition electoral victory

By Tererai Obey Sithole

As the political temperatures are heating up with each day ahead of the 2018 plebiscite, ordinarily thoughts and actions should be brought together to work out a superior plan of victory. This coming election, just like any other election is important to every concerned citizen who envisions a great Zimbabwe full of prosperity and equal opportunities for all.We all envision the Zimbabwe that we want and certainly that Zimbabwe is a Zimbabwe without Mugabe and his ZANU-PF anywhere close to leadership of this country.

For over three decades, we have seen Robert Mugabe and his party clinging to power through unscrupulous means. Regrettably instead of ruling the country they have been ruining the country and while this has been happening, the consequences hit hard on the youths.If this poor governance is given another chance for whatever reason in the next election, the youth will be placed on the brink of inheriting a destructed future.

It is against the comprehension of this sad reality that the youth of today have every reason to unite and fearlessly fight for the prevalence of democracy to defend the future which is threatened by hopelessness if Mugabe and ZANU-PF are to get another five-year term.

The sad realism is that Zimbabwean youths have not been spared by the scourge of poverty which has been exacerbated by the alarming levels of unemployment. While the unemployment rate continues to sky rocket, the same ZANU-PF which promised 2,2 million jobs, unashamedly claim to have created more than 3 million jobs when its unconcealed that what has been created is just nothing but job losses.

On the other hand, political violence has begun to roll its ugly head and again the youth fall victim either by being used as perpetrators of violence due to desperation or as victims of the violence. This is just a snippet of a plethora of challenges immensely bedeviling our country under the watch of the incumbent government which has proven beyond any doubt to be clueless in arresting the widespread crisis.

In a crisis manifestation like this, it is clearer that the youths are the ones affected largely but at the same time, the same youths can and have solutions to apprehend the crises which are abundant. The solution to the problems faced today, calls for a united youth voice to take charge in defining, delivering and defending a future that favours the youth.

It is only in the best ability of a bee to bring the sweetness of honey and undoubtedly folly to expect a wasp to produce the same. In this regard, it is a superlative thing for the young people to have a convergence of issues to map a way forward which is in the best interest of serving the nation from plunging into further crisis.

Demographically the youth constitute the greater chunk of the population and this position them as major stakeholders of the national discourse hence all progressive youths should be ready to carry the burden of fighting for a new Zimbabwe.

The most thought-provoking reality is that when the ZANU-PF engineered poverty mercilessly assault us, it knows no political affiliation, every one of us receives an equal share of the same. Thus, the youths should be more united than divided because they are all commonly united by the suffering first before they are divided by political affiliation. If the Zimbabwean youths of today ever dream of a better Zimbabwe, they should all raise above the political party differences and come together, work together and realise their wishes.

The time is ripe and now is the time for the youth to find each other regardless of colour, creed, height, tribe, political party affiliation among other factors that historically could divide the youths. Fundamentally, every progressive young person should realise that s/he is a Zimbabwean before becoming a political party affiliate hence the task of nation building should be collective and never should it be slaughtered at the altars of petty differences and selfish interests.

It is much easier for the youths to be united than to be divided at this point because the youths today are closely knitted together by the untold anguish orchestrated by current government which is ought to be leading the nation but has since failed and has always been failing to deliver. The coming together of the youths should be an inevitable piece to complete the electoral victory conundrum, therefore a broad-based convergence of the youths should be realized ahead of the next election.

The youths’ convergence should be conducted to deal with all the key issues to do with the youths and their full participation in political processes for the youths are the game changers of the political terrain. Every youth across the political divide, civil society organisations and the churches should be religiously bound by the understanding of the fact that there is absolutely nothing for the youths without the youths themselves.

The ability by the youths to find each other is a great and a much-needed step to arrest the challenge of voter apathy among the young adults. Growing the youth vote ahead of the next election will do the magic to ensure the prevalence of democracy and ushering in a new people centred government of the people, by the people and for the people. Youths should raise above all form of differences, perceived or real and take up responsibility and ownership of the future because failure to do so will lead to the inheritance of a bleak future.

There is a general consensus that five more years under ZANU-PF rulership should not be an imaginable thing hence now is the time to get rid of such a possibility. Getting rid of ZANU-PF is achievable through the realization by the youth that they possess the power and potential to unlock opportunities for a brighter future.

All progressive youths concerned about the future of this country should take the responsibility upon themselves to decisively deal with the aged and aging leadership of ZANU-PF which no longer has any future to think of let alone to protect.The unity of the youths holds the aptitude to change the status quo of this country therefore it is my humble opinion and plea that the youths of today converge and resolve on the best way to deal with the mess that we see ourselves in as a nation.

Tererai Obey Sithole – Concerned Citizen, Youth Leader& Development Scholar

He writes in his own capacity and can be contacted via email: [email protected]