JOHANNESBURG - South Africas official opposition has criticised the new Ministry of Police saying its deployment of youth purportedly to fight crime was an abuse of youth as was the case with Zimbabwes youth national service. Dianne Kohler Barnard, the Democratic Alliance Shadow Minister of Police said the new Ministry of Police should reverse the move, saying the government should learn a lesson from Zimbabwe that such initiatives were devastating.
Instead of introducing this Communist-inspired idea to put our youngsters in the front line, the Ministry needs to focus very intensely on sorting out existing problems within the SAPS, including its substandard training programmes before creating yet further complex programmes for implementation. What happened with the Zimbabwean Youth Brigades should have been sufficient example to have them doing anything but pay groups of youths to believe they have some sort of power over our citizens. And to claim that youngsters who refuse to become involved will somehow be suspect, is hugely threatening, she said this week.
Her comments follow plans by the new ministry to deploy youth to help in the fight against crime in South Africa.
It might be that in allowing, indeed encouraging, their Youth League members to flout the laws of civilised behaviour we’re now sowing what we’ve reaped. No other country in the world would allow these inexperienced, unqualified youngsters – and I say youngsters even though many of them are middle-aged – promoted to positions for which they are not equipped, Barnard said.
At the turn of the millennium, Zimbabwe introduced a youth national service scheme purportedly to instil patriotism among youth.
It turned out to be a ploy to silence dissenting voices as thousands were tortured, maimed and killed at the hands of such militia who worked hand-in-hand with other Zanu (PF) activists to retain the party in power over the years.
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