The trust’s communications officer, Farai Rwodzi told The Zimbabwean that the aim of the tournament was to foster a culture of peace and political tolerance among youths while at the same time encouraging them to register to vote. “We are expecting free and fair elections and we hope there will not be a repeat of the violence that characterised previous elections. Personally I think the presence of international observers will help guard against incidences of violence and intimidation thereby adding to the credibility of the elections. Also, the presence of international observers will ensure that some of the anomalies that characterised the June 2008 poll will be corrected,” said Tarisai Chikukwa (30).
Vincent Furawo (33) said: “We are expecting a fair playing ground during the elections. There is need for the country’s leaders to ensure the elections are observed as widely as possible and this means extending invitations to whoever wants to come and observe.”
Obey Mwariwangu (35) said the upcoming elections provided Zimbabwe with an opportunity to gain back the confidence of the international community. “We have been alienated from the international community for quite a long time and our economy has not been performing very well and as a result most youths have no jobs. So I think inviting international observers is very important because their presence will ensure a free and fair poll with a credible outcome and this will boost the confidence of foreign investors to invest in the country,” he said.
On the issue of voter registration, the youths expressed concern that the process was taking too long. “It’s taking long to register to vote and as a result, some are getting frustrated and giving up. You will find that one can spend the whole day in the queue and fail to register. What concerns us most is that at the registration centres some people seem to be more equal than others,” said Olivia Masuwira.
The youths concurred that there was need for them to desist from violence as well as guarding against political manipulation by politicians during election time. “We have realised that although we might have different political persuasions, we are all Zimbabweans and we have to unite to build the country rather than wasting time fighting against each other. It is my hope that calls for peace and tolerance will be embraced by all youths from various political parties during the elections,” said Nomatter Mapeta (31).
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