Sydney Chasi, the director of the Youth for Democracy in Zimbabwe (YIDEZ), told reporters in Harare last week that he had been told by Kasukuwere that the youth programme would be revived in terms of the global political agreement (GPA). Article 15.1 (a) of the GPA says, all youths regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, religion and political affiliation are?eligible to participate in the national youth training programme.?? But Chasi said his group was against reviving the youth service programme out of fear that Zanu (PF) would use the programme to train youth militia that will be deployed against the partys political in any future election.
We are calling on the government to temporarily postpone the re-introduction of the national youth service programme and instead?utilise the transition period to put in place mechanisms to ensure that the programme does not carry the negative? perception from the past, said Chasi. ??Young men and women trained under the national service programme have together with war veterans formed the centrepiece of Zanu (PF)s electoral campaign strategy, unleashing violence and terror against the opposition to ensure victory for Mugabe and his party.