CHITUNGWIZA - In the absence of meaningful national healing from the Organ of National Healing and Reconciliation that was set up by the Government of National Unity the MDC-T Youth Assembly has started carrying out clean-up programmes in the country where it invites youths from Zanu (PF) who where the purveyors of violence and intimidation in the 2008 election.
In an interview the Assemblys Secretary General Solomon Madzore said they have started with Chitungwiza and were going to go to various towns in the country.
We have already started the clean-up campaigns and our aim is simply to ensure that youths from across the political divide have something to do. We are aware that youths have been used in the past to carry out acts of violence and intimidation.
We are aware that this has been happening not because youths are violent but because they have nothing to do. So what we are saying to the youths is that instead of concentrating energies on violence lets instead focus them on cleaning our towns, said Madzore.
Local authorities that are incapacitated by the all pervasive corruption and lack of resource have failed to deliver service leading to the accumulation of uncollected garbage. This has raised fears of yet another cholera outbreak.
We are aware of the dangers that are posed by uncollected refuse and we would like to ensure that our cities are clean so that people feel safe. No party regalia will be worn and we aim to foster unity among youths in the country because all youths regardless of political affiliation do not want another cholera outbreak.
Unemployed youths are often used as foot soldiers by political parties who dump them when they are traumatised by acts of barbarism they would have committed.
We want to support the government initiative of national healing which has been idling for a long time now. We are hopeful that such programmes will ensure trust among the youths, said Madzore.
The Organ of National Healing has failed to initiate any meaningful national healing. Scars inflicted in the bloody 2008 Presidential Election run-off have not been healed and many people have reservations that calling for elections without a proper healing and trust building exercise will only mean the exclusion of victims of violence who are still scared of taking part in elections.
Meanwhile, rowdy Zanu (PF) supporters spent Sunday night in the sprawling town of Chitungwiza singing derisive songs and calling on all MDC supporters to repent.
The over excited youths, who last week were collecting names of the people in the town, sang that the MDCs days as a political party are numbered.
The youths have been spurred into frenzy by the words of the party leadership which have said that they will not accept an MDC-T victory.
Residents of Chitungwiza, whose night was cut short by the intimidating youths, said the government of Zimbabwe should deal with people who promote violence.
I was sleeping and head people singing. I was afraid that they could do what they did last time in 2008 when they forced me to attend their meetings. I actually hid under the bed, said Innocent Makore, an MDC activist.
The MDC claims that the police force is doing nothing about the resurgent violence.
Post published in: News