Representatives of various youth organisations said the plight of young people had been sacrificed at the political altar for personal political grandisement of individual power hungry politicians.
Wellington Zindove, Youth Forum National Co-ordinator, said recent developments in Zanu (PF) were a reflection that politicians do not care about the electorate but are mainly concerned with getting and staying in power.
“Politicians are exhibiting their true colours because as it is, there is no talk about coming up with solutions to the social and economic challenges affecting citizens especially youths,” said Zindove.
“The plight of youths and ordinary citizens has been sacrificed at the political altar with the jostling for positions putting all the progressive government business at a standstill.”
Zindove said owing to failure by citizens to amplify their voices and demand for their rights, politicians were comfortable jostling for power knowing that Zimbabweans were a peaceful people ‘who would not engage in any mass action.’
“Currently there is no push, no urge to demand our rights as they are guaranteed in the Constitution,” said Zindove.
“There is urgent need for us, especially youths to use the various stations at our disposal to demand our rights to health, education and good standards of living. As young people, we are suffering at the expense of a government that is never serious about fulfilling on its election promises and the needs of its citizens.”
Zindove emphasised the importance of youths to mobilise each other and stand up as a unified constituency to push politicians and government to address the plight of youths chief among them the high unemployment rate in the country.
Joana Mamombe, the Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) Gender and Human Rights Secretary said the ongoing squabbles within Zanu (PF) reflected that the party was infested with politicians with misplaced priorities.
“These conflicts and struggle for power is just a manifestation of political people with no leadership qualities but who have misplaced priorities,” said Mamombe.
“A year and a half after elections, the government has been focusing on debating petty issues and of the few meaningful ones that they have debated, there is no implementation.”
She lambasted the government for failing to address youths’ challenges accusing it of ‘totally failing to address students’ concerns.”
Francis Rwodzi, the Media and Information Officer for Youth Agenda Trust, a membership based organization with over 20 000 members across 22 districts in Zimbabwe emphasised the importance of adherence to the separation of power for government officials and party stalwarts as a starting point towards guaranteeing development.
“There is need for government officials to understand that there is a difference between government and Zanu (PF),” said Rwodzi.
“The majority of them are now concentrating on party business at the expense of government business and this means that if the party is sneezing, government is also sneezing. Government officials despite being party leaders should understand that they have an obligation to serve in government failure of social and economic discourse of the ordinary people to internal party politics.
Brighton Matimba, MDC- T welfare officer said internal party squabbles within the revolutionary party Zanu (PF)were set to continue for a long time considering that even those who were bound to lose at the December congress would continue sabotaging the winners.
“Things are going to be worse because there is no solution to the country’s economic woes with most of the top officials vesting their energies on getting into power,” said Matimba.
“Politicians are no longer focusing on government business and this is taking away the progress made by the inclusive government,” he said, adding that unless government addressed citizens’ grievances, a time will come when people will say enough is enough.”
Rwodzi called on politicians to urgently address citizens’ bread and butter issues instead of diverting the
Zanu (PF)has been divided between two factions: one led by the Vice President, Joice Mujuru and another, led by Justice Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa.
However, the first lady Grace Mugabe declared her choice between the two, making scathing remarks about Mujuru through calls that the vice president should resign for corruption and incompetency.
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