Youth not eager to register for polls

At Taita Shops in Chitungwiza fliers encouraging young people to go and register as voters are strewn on the ground, but only a few seem to take notice.

Various youth movements have been encouraging unregistered citizens now above 18 to register as voters, but the youths said it did not make sense to register as voters because their vote will not count.

Elections in Zimbabwe really mean nothing. As long as Mugabe is in power we will be wasting our time voting, said Tinevimbo Zizhou a college student.

Riding on a wave of violence in 2008 Mugabe won a one-man race and declared that he was the President. There is little doubt among the youngsters to whom memories of that fateful year are still fresh.

Why should I vote when the army makes the final decision? I will only register after security reforms are carried out, said Lovemore Mutekedza from Epworth.

Minister of State for State Security Sydney Sekeramayi has ruled out the possibility of security sector reform, saying such a move would weaken the country.

There cannot be any security sector reforms. Such a move would leave the country at the mercy of our enemies, said Sekeramayi, the latest entry to the list of successors to Mugabe.

But the only enemies of the state seem to be youths and people who differ in their thinking from Sekeramayi and his fellow Zanu (PF) comrades.

The Youth Forum of Zimbabwe, which has been on a nationwide campaign to encourage youths to register as voters, said the response youth had been encouraging but it was vital for electoral and security reforms to be carried out first before elections are held.

We are constantly lobbying for reforms to be carried out in order to encourage young people – because without reforms the votes may not count, said the forums Wellington Zindove.