Our future under Zanu (PF) is bleak, say youths

Young people who spoke to The Zimbabwean said they felt governments had failed them for the past 33 years through implementing policies that did not address their plight.

Graduates from several universities countrywide said they had no confidence that the job market was going to improve and they pinned all their hopes on jobs in neighbouring countries such as South Africa, Namibia and Botswana.

They said the only ones not looking for employment in other countries were those whose qualifications weren’t in demand internationally.

Danai Tsomo from Hatfield in Harare, an engineering graduate, said: “Yes, indigenisation is a noble idea but it can only work when there is money. For me to start venturing into my own business in my field I need a lot of capital and I do not have the experience as yet.

“The situation is dire in Zimbabwe and I am justified going elsewhere to put into practice the expertise I’ve acquired. Hopefully, I’ll come back and start my own business maybe ten or so years from now.”

Zimbabwe’s 13 institutions of higher learning churn out close to 10,000 graduates every year against an enrolment of more than 60,000 students each year, according to the country’s national statistics agency, ZimStat.

Zimbabwe is rated as having the highest literacy rate in southern African, despite recent statistics indicating that most young people were involved in the informal sector.

Findings from the survey, which sampled more than 6m people in the 16 to 18 age group revealed that only 22 per cent were in formal employment.

“Around 3.7m Zimbabweans are involved in the informal sector,” read the report.

Record show that, between July 2011 and July 2013, 711 companies in Harare closed down, leaving at least 8,330 workers jobless.

The director of Victory Siyanqoba Trust, a Bulawayo-based arts organisation, Desire Moyo, said the past decade was testimony that there was no ‘messiah’ who would champion young people and the onus was on youths themselves to come up with initiatives for their economic emancipation.

Said Moyo: “My worst fear is that government will continue with its hostile stance towards Western countries, yet we are in urgent need of investors to boost the country’s economic performance and create employment.

“We need to harmonise our relations with other countries the world over and ensure that we maximise the benefits that come with doing business with those countries. We have the potential to boost and revitalise the country’s defunct industries.”

Moyo said it did not make economic sense for Zimbabwe to restrict itself to the Look East policy.

“Youths are the most affected by bad policies that scare away investors such as the indigenisation and youth empowerment policy,” he said, adding that the initiative was benefiting political heavyweights while youths languished in poverty.

Moreblessing Gwanya from Breakthrough Zimbabwe, a newly formed youth initiative, urged government to invest in agricultural activities targeted at young people.

Said Gwanya: “The country’s future is in agriculture. Government should ensure that youths get land and are capacitated to venture into farming. My biggest worry is the re-introduction of the Zimbabwean dollar, which I believe will plunge the country into an irreversible economic abyss like the one we had in 2008.”

Said Darell Manyowa, an economics graduate from Highfield in Harare: “My parents invested in my education and I will not reduce myself to mediocrity by selling airtime on the streets like the majority of university graduates are doing. I am currently applying all over, to countries such as Dubai, Australia, South Africa and Namibia where employment prospects are high,” he added.

Regarding the revitalisation of the country’s economy, several young people concurred that the prospects were bleak considering that government had failed to present the budget on time.

Fortunate Taruva said although government was aware that the only way towards creating employment opportunities was through the promotion of an investor-friendly environment, it continued implementing policies and legislation that scared away investors.

Said Taruva: “Our future is being stolen because we were never given the opportunity to work and earn money like the older generation. The Look East policy is not feasible considering that the East is looking West. We all need each other and we should not create economic barricades that hinder development based on promoting selfish interests,” he said.

Login Mhlanga said she was optimistic that government would implement constitutional provisions calling for gender equality in all spheres.

“Young women face a lot of challenges. It is my hope that despite bleak employment prospects, young women will be treated as equal citizens,” she said. “My wish for 2014 is to see young female graduates get the same job opportunities as their male counterparts, despite the job market being overstretched.”

Nyasha Muzoriyana from Harare said his hope for 2014 was “that government will support young people’s small- to medium-sized enterprises. “Failure to present the budget shows that all is not well with the government’s financial standing, despite the fact that we have a huge natural and mineral resource base,” said Muzoriyana.

Abraham Nyoni, a graduate from the Zimbabwe Open University, said unless government came up with feasible policies that attracted foreign direct investment, students would continue graduating to other countries.

Said Nyoni, a media student graduate, said societal perceptions that a graduate was expected to live a decent life had fuelled the mass exodus of graduates to other countries.

“A performing economy is important if the country is to retain its highly skilled human resource base. If all these issues are not addressed, my worry is that we may revert back to the 2008 period,” he said.

Nyoni said his worst fear was the continued suppression of the media.

“Opening up the media space is the solution for unemployed media graduates. A monopoly will not benefit young people,” he said.