HZT Programmes Officer, Edknowledge Mandikwaza encouraging youth to promote peace in the area..
This came out during a Sports for peace tournament hosted by Heal Zimbabwe in Chipinge South on 29 July 2017. The tournament was organized under Heal Zimbabwe’s National Peace campaign, #13MilVoices4Peace, an initiative that seeks to encourage community leaders and members to uphold and pledge for peace ahead of the 2018 elections. The sports games were attended by 200 people, and six traditional leaders.
The tournament was conducted at Vheneka Primary school and saw 6 soccer and 6 netball teams battling out for the prestigious Peace cup. The participating teams were drawn from three wards of Chipinge South (wards 27, 23 and 22). The Youth sports games were organized by Wadzanai community peace club, a local peace club established by Heal Zimbabwe in Chipinge South. Village head Rukweza was the guest of honour at the tournament. In his address, Village head Rukweza underscored the need for community members to uphold peace and be tolerant of each other as the nation readies for the 2018 elections. “..The unity amongst community members during this sports for peace tournament must also be exercised from today going forward. We need to exercise tolerance amongst each other because peace begins with me, peace begins with you and peace begins with all of us”, he said.
As part of pledging for peace ahead of the 2018 elections, all the participating teams signed peace pledges which symbolize their commitment to uphold peace and intensify peace initiatives in the area. Mambarangwa Football Club won the peace cup in the soccer category while Pamamonya netball team won in the netball category.
The Sports for peace tournament in Chipinge South come at a time when Heal Zimbabwe has implemented similar sports for peace tournaments in areas such as Tsholotsho North, Zaka, Mazowe, Rushinga, Murehwa, Mutasa and Makoni. The Sports for peace specifically target youths drawn from various political parties with an objective of building peace and tolerance among the youths.
Post published in: Featured
This is just foolish, we do not just want peaceful elections. We want peaceful, free, fair and credible elections. The 2013 elections were relatively peaceful but good were there to us since Zanu PF was able to rig the vote and stay in power.
What we want is peaceful, free, fair and credible elections and Heal Zimbabwe must not treat peaceful and free elections as if the two are mutually exclusive, they are not. Heal Zimbabwe must stop bargaining off this fundamental right, to appease Mugabe. They are selling the nation cheap and have no right to do so!
The problem in 2013 was not one of violence, at least compared to 2008; the problem was one blatant vote rigging. Zanu PF was always resorted to using violence when the party’s vote rigging was not going to deliver the victory. It is clear the vote rigging machine is working like a charm this time and so even Mugabe has publicly called on his thugs to cut back on the violence.
It seems Heal Zimbabwe is concentrating its work on giving the nation something we already have. What we want is to stop Zanu PF rigging the vote.
Zanu PF is dragging its feet with the voter registration and then will stampede everyone through the whole business in few weeks. No one will have a chance to check anything and hundreds of thousands will once again be denied the vote. The regime will have its 2/3 majority with anyone see where those votes came from!
If Heal Zimbabwe does not want to join the demand for implementing the reforms, which is the only way to stop Zanu PF rigging the vote, then Heal Zimbabwe should shut up and stop fighting in Zanu PF’s corner.
Implementing the reforms is the real task here, voter education, voter registration, sports for peace, etc. these are are all distractions, at the very least. We need to amputate the gangrene broken leg and all Heal Zimbabwe is offering the patient is false hope that painkillers will cure them!