Political Idiocy and the aftermath of the “yes” vote

By Rawlings Standgun Magede

Recently, i was debating the recent referendum with COPAC co-chair, Paul Mangwana over the legitimacy of the yes vote. His argument was that Zimbabweans did well by grabbing this opportunity presented them and voted in favour of the document as this process had taken a lot of time and money.He went to argue that there is no constitution that can best meet the term “people driven” citing that even the American constitution was written by less than five people and yet it is ranked as one of the best constitutions in the world. To him the fact that only a “handful’ of people were consulted during the scandalous outreach programme, made the constitution “very’ people driven.

While there might be a grain of truth in his argument i reminded him that the United states of America and Zimbabwe are totally different countries at different socio-economic and political developments, hence those countries are worlds apart in terms of governance to say the least and cannot be compared. As far as Mangwana’s duty as a citizen is concerned, he thinks that his job was done because he claims that he delivered the constitution 33years years after independence. He wrongfully thinks history will absolve him for delivering such a careless, selfish and disastrous constitution to the people of Zimbabwe. I argued and told him that constitutions across the world are based on the country’s history hence the reason why the Lancaster constitution was amended so many times like that because it fell short in addressing arising issues. I later on jokingly concluded to him that if there was anywhere in the world where constitutions should not provide for an executive president, then it’s in Africa, the place where power is abused by incumbent presidents to unleash terror and mayhem against opponents.

The idiots of the 21st century are not those who oppose and question undemocratic decisions taken by politicians and labelled ‘nhinhi” at every turn, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn from history. They are those who herd people like cattle into unprincipled terrains where the grass will not be greener for the future generations of Zimbabwe. The question should be: is the next generation going to be proud of decisions that we make for them? History in Africa has taught us that if too much power is given to one person, where he is the sole appointing authority of all key post, then there will be untold suffering on all those who dare question or oppose him.

While this writer feels pity for the two MDC formations in the inclusive government and some malleable civic society organisations for choosing against better advice to support the COPAC draft amid widespread approval of the draft as an elitist document by the people of Zimbabwe and some civic organisations such as NCA, they had no clue what the consequences of their decisions meant. For them no matter the contents of the draft,” progress” and not the content was important as long as we do away with the Lancaster constitution. They actually were hoodwinked into believing that ZANU PF was sincere in calling for unity and peace and the need to “move” the country forward by voting “yes”, little did they know that they were wrong. In the end ZANU PF managed to achieve what they had always wanted: writing a constitution that protects their interests. There is no name in the lexicon that can best describe such sell-out tendencies within the MDC’s and some CSO’s.

While some of us who we campaigning for a no vote were harangued and called all sorts of names and labelled retrogressive elements, events that began unfolding have led many people realize that the “yes vote was not about progress and moving the country forward but it was about settling a political score. Before the ink on the ballot papers could even dry, a top human rights defender, Beatrice Mtetwa was arrested under unclear and malicious circumstances.As if that was not enough, The Prime Minister of the republic of Zimbabwe, the right honourable Morgan Richard Tsvangirai’s staff were arrested. More arrest followed. The Prime Minister even tried to get them released but to no avail. What does it show to the people of Zimbabwe? He is the prime minister and hence should have influence on the police that is if at all he has any aorta of influence and power in government.

At one point i used to believe that Tsvangirai was the man who had felt the pulse of the people of Zimbabwe but when he endorsed such a draconian draft by whipping his supporters to support such a flawed document that creates an all powerful president changed my mind. He went on to tell green lies to the electorate that the COPAC draft will clip executive power.where? How?I still wonder and i am still looking in this “foolish” draft where executive power is trimmed till today. While many of his supporter see the world in binary terms i.e. MDC-T vs. ZANU PF, what they fail to understand however is that our politics transcend political parties. Whoever thought that the Nazi under Hitler would be exterminated from the face of German politics? Back during those days, it seemed a herculean task to ever imagine a Germany without Hitler. Today if you go to German and dare mention Hitler’s name, you might find yourself dead or wounded because the people there don’t want to be reminded of such a dark phase in their history. Coming back home we make our decisions without foresight of what the next 30years of our beloved country hold by voting for a document where the president remains the sole appointing authority of literally everyone.

I thought that most civic society groups who have witnessed unparalleled attack,imprisonment,killing and clampdown on their activities were going to at least question the issue of the attorney general who just like in the Lancaster constitution is appointed by the president. We have seen unwarranted arrests even after courts clear and order people to be released but still many continue to be detained. On this subject of attorney general there was surreal silence on who should appoint him from civic organizations. The evil agenda of the attorney general’s office against civic organizations is conspicuous to any functioning mind.
For these CSOs this draft constitution that they voted “ yes” for doesn’t change or seek to address the issue of the attorney general who has been a thorn in their flesh for the all these years. Many sold out their principles just because they wrongfully think that the MDC-T is always right and should never be questioned and is never wrong. They don’t realise that as far as their mandate as civic society that of being the watchdog of government is concerned, they lost the plot and will continue suffering huge, if not fatal setbacks in their pursuit of an “MDC –type” of a democratic society. While this shoot-from-the-hip approach by civic society to endorse a fraudulent constitution against better advice on the basis that the MDCs had endorsed it, unfortunately when the history of Zimbabwe is written, it will not be kind to such sell out elements.

Otherwise the selling out by some civic society groups and the two MDC’s in the inclusive government is a story yet to be told and it shall be told in the same way as the sun shall rise tomorrow.

Rawlings Standgun Magede is a rural political enthusiast who writes from Nkayi,Matebeleland north province .rawedge699@gmail.com

PEOPLE REJECT COPAC DRAFT

If recent results of a constitution debate on the YES\NO vote hosted by Crisis in Coalition, are anything to go by, then the politicians who are advocating for yes votes have everything to worry about because the people rejected the COPAC draft describing it as a weak and selfish draft meant to further the interests of politicians. COPAC co-chair Douglas Mwonzora,Virginia Muwanigwa from Womens coalition, Psychology Maziwisa from ZANU PF and Dr Charity Manyeruke from the University of Zimbabwe were advocating for a yes vote .On the other hand the No vote was represented by Clever Bere(NCA).Job Sikhala(MDC-99)Munyaradzi Gwisai(ISO)Simba Makoni(Mavambo).
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Speakers of the yes vote came one after the other trying to defend the draft constitution but to no avail. The people objected when Psychology Mazivisa stated that if ZANU PF was to win the coming elections, it will amend the constitution and this brought the discussion to a standstill. What this means is that people will have no say in the amendment process because this will be dealt with at party level. The audience noted that the current Lancaster house constitution was amended more than 18 times but still fell short in addressing real issues and this has been done over a period of more than 20years.What guarantee do people have that if they voted yes for the constitution, when the time to make amendments come, will they be consulted and how long will that take? Such an observation prompted people to question the motive behind the politicians call to vote for a yes come referendum time. The people even queried why the people were given only 3 weeks to read and analyse the draft and yet it took COPAC 4years to come with a draft.

Mwonzora tried as much as he could to fire fight for the yes vote but he could not extinguish the disgruntlement people had with the draft document. The people at the debate refused to allow political parties to continue misleading the people on the constitution by deceiving people about the so-called incremental gains purported to be in the draft. Even the representative from ZANU PF actually admitted that the draft falls short in terms of addressing issues and called it a ‘compromise “document among the political parties. In his presentation Mazivisa expressed his dislike of the draft constitution because it was a “compromise” document fully acknowledging that it fell short on party expectations .What is important to note is that the constitution has been about the political parties and this explains why they had closed door meetings to edit and horse-trade several clauses while the people of Zimbabwe were kept in the dark. For how long shall politicians be allowed to play old tricks on the people? Simply put, the draft seeks to protect the interests of whoever wins the next elections who will seek to amend the constitution to their own taste.
Those who were representing the no vote did well to critic the draft in an informed manner and managed to convince the audience that they should vote no in the coming referendum. Of major importance is that in the draft there was an age requirement for one to be president but there was no retirement age. The issue of having an all powerful executive was not welcomed by the audience.

As the election bell continues to toll towards judgement day, with the political parties using vast resources to whip and buy their supporters to vote yes in the coming referendum, it remains to be seen who will heed to such a call. This writer is more convinced that no progressive Zimbabwean would want to surrender the fate and future of coming generations to a bunch of inept and selfish leaders who tell people to vote “yes” so that their selfish ends are achieved.Zimabwe is more than ZANU PF and MDC. Who would want to vote yes for a draft that one political party would change to its own taste? Have people become that callous to surrender the destiny of this troubled country to politicians?

Dr Simba Makoni who maintained a neutral approach during the course of the debate blasted the advocates of the yes vote advising them to find better reasons, if any, on why the people should vote yes in the coming referendum. Even well known ZANU PF apologist Goodson Nguni described the draft constitution as “rubbish’.

Now is the time for those progressive Zimbabweans who are not confused and have not fallen prey to the stratagems by politicians, to put to an end this nonsense once and for all by voting NO in the coming referendum

If enough time is given for people to critically analyse the draft, they will see for themselves how monstrous the COPAC draft is.

Rawlings Magede is a rural political enthusiast who writes from Nkayi, Matebeleland North Province
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Why youth empowerment in Zimbabwe is a pipe dream

By Rawlings Magede

Over the years the Zimbabwe has witnessed many socio-political and economic changes. These changes have a direct effect on every age group. However, the most vulnerable group is the youth who remain at the mercy of circumstances.



With the scourge of unemployment running rampant, many fall unsuspectingly into the trap of being used for other selfish means by politicians.

The youth constitute the majority of the population, this entails that whenever there is any economic haemorrhage and meltdown, and they are affected the most. Despite this, over the years, the youth have played servitude and prostration at the hands of politicians who have continued to use them as barricades against leadership change and renewal.

The problem we have in Zimbabwe today is that those in positions of leadership are not prepared to relinquish their privileges so as to accommodate the plight of the suffering masses ( youths included)such as dealing with the high rate of unemployment, either because of ideological deficiency and selfishness.

Such elements turn to the youth for political survival. Zimbabwe has a wanton record of political led violence. Every time the country goes for elections, violence characterizes the process and it is a morass to a peaceful political transition. All this stifles the democratic process.

Despite having many organizations that purport to advance the concerns of the youth, the majority of youth remain vulnerable to manipulation by politicians. I am not sure if I should conclude that these organizations are not doing enough to advance and raise awareness among the relevant stakeholders.

The youth remain unemployed and destitute and this means that as long as the youth remain unemployed, political violence can never be eradicated.

A telling example is the OLD mutual Youth Fund that was politicized from the beginning. To date many youths still live under false hope that their projects are still being considered.

Despite the Ministry of Youth and empowerment stating that the agricultural sector received the largest allocation of funds under the Old Mutual Youth Development Fund that was being administered by CABS since 2009, it remains to be seen what the so-called agricultural projects will yield.

Acccording to the ministry the agricultural sector received 34% of the grant, distribution took 315%,manufacturing 23%,service 11% and mining .The ordinary youth still questions the opaque manner in which the fund was disbursed. The mystery of why their project proposals were turned down continues to haunt many today.

The youth ministry also allege that the fund also benefited youths from Nyanga, Mutare, Macheke, Bulawayo, Masvingo, Hwange and Gweru. If what the ministry is saying is anything to go by, then an audit of how the youth fund was disbursed is needed to find out if the process was not done in a partisan manner.

The audit should be done by an independent commission made of members from civic society, youth leaders from communities and political parties. A cursory cross checking of facts reveals that the fund was abused or diverted for other “projects”.

Recent media reports suggest that The Zimbabwe Youth council that three quarters of the youth who benefited from the fund diverted the money meant for projects.

“Some of you are now asking the reason why we are have resorted to paying for what one would have applied to get for his or her project because the money is being diverted,” Livingston Dzikira Zimbabwe Youth Council Director told reporters in Nyanga at the UNICEF workshop.

“So far from the people who have benefited, 70% of them have diverted the funds. Some have taken the loans to pay lobola and those are the same people you seem at public forums denouncing the program”.

This reveals serious levels of corruption and graft. In the first place why was the process done secretly? Why did the ministry of youth not do a wide consultation across the country to assess the projects? If the youth council knows as Dzikira clearly states the names of people who abused the fund, what has his office done to deal with such gross abuse of funds?

The youth fund was politicized from from the beginning when Vice president Joice Mujuru officiated the programme under the watchful eye of Kasukuwere. This they saw an opportunity to drum up support for ZANU PF and revive its waning popularity.

It’s a pity that most youths not aligned to ZANU actually wasted their time and resources coming with project proposals with the hope of having their proposals approved. It’s not given that half of the youth in the country are politically affiliated to any party, there are some who are just concerned about leading normal lives.

Livingston Dzikira admitted that as far as the disbursing of funds was concerned, he had no oversight and control whatsoever. Asked by reporters at the same occasion of his affiliation to Zanu-PF which has raised concerns by the public over how deserving youths benefit from youth empowerment programme Dzikira said he follows orders given to him by Saviour Kasukuwere, the minister of Youth Empowerment Minister who is Zanu-PF.

“I am an employee, who reports to the board and when the body is not present I give reports directly to the responsible Minister and it is impossible for you to separate me from that otherwise I get fired, “he said.

In other words what he was saying is that the youth fund was meant for ZANU PF youths, all he does in his capacity as director is to process finalized suggestions of names from Kasukuwere. Why then did Old mutual and the ministry of youth bother the ordinary youth to apply for the fund when they knew that the fund was meant for ZANU PF youths?

The youths had to scavenge for money to prepare and photocopy the project documents when in actual fact they were not qualified for the fund before they even applied.

One startling fact is that Kasukuwere is deputized by Tongai Matutu from MDC-T, the peoples’ party of excellence”. What is excellent about the MDC when it cannot question such an injustice as far as the disbursing of the youth fund is concerned.

Matutu and his other comrades from the MDC are still obsessed with the luxuries of being in government that come with luxurious cars and bogus allowances while neglecting their role in government? The MDC ministers should not be anyone’s tool in government; they should at least denounce such injustices from within government.

The reality within the Ministry of Youth is depressing; no backbone, no drives towards empowering youth save for those affiliated to ZANU PF.

Most youth organizations that claim to stand for the plight of the youth are just lily-livered opportunists united by money and the anti-Mugabe mantra but who remain mentally and materially beholden to other people who in most cases are politicians.

The real youth that they claim to represent are just imaginary and non-existent. Many of them just play “a watch and see attitude” even whenever they should advocate.

Despite Zimbabwe being a signatory of many international conventions that respect the role of the youth in economic and political issues, Zimbabwean youths remain on the sidelines in as far as issues of governance and their welfare are concerned. The Zimbabwe Peoples Charter section on youth clearly states that;

“Believing that at all given times the youth, both female and male, represent the present and the future of our country and that all those in positions of leadership nationally and locally must remain true to the fact that our country shall be passed on from one generation to the next.

The People state that, in order for each generation to bequeath to the next a country that remains the epitome of hope, democracy and sustainable livelihoods, the following principles for the youth must be adhered to and respected:

The youth shall be guaranteed the right to education at all levels until they acquire their first tertiary qualification.

The youth shall be guaranteed an equal voice in decision-making processes that not only affect them but the country as a whole in all spheres of politics, the national economy and social welfare.

The youth shall be guaranteed access to the right to health.

The youth shall not be subject to political abuse through training regimes that connote political violence or any semblance of propaganda that will compromise their right to determine their future as both individuals and as a collective.

The youth have the right to associate and assemble and express themselves freely of their own prerogative.”

The inclusive government has fallen short in addressing any of the tenets of the people’s charter.

The principles in the peoples’ charter on youth are social welfaristic that harness together all the socio-economic ills that affect youths daily. The inclusive government continues to sideline the youth in issues such constitution reform, tertiary education, social welfare and health.

I am yet to understand what it means to be a youth in Zimbabwe. Does it mean that you must be a member of a political party youth wing that is used to unleash violence against an innocent, exposed and vulnerable electorate and be given trinkets as a form of reward or be a member of a youth organization where you are allowed certain privileges I don’t know.

May the real youth stand up!!

Rawlings Magede writes in his personal capacity and can be contacted on rawedge699@gmail.com

THE CURSE WITH THE “YES” VOTE

The COPAC led process has been nothing but a circus so blatantly diverted by politicians leaving a lot of questions unanswered for the common man to question whether if the sole responsibility of writing this law of the land is for a few privileged politicians. Zimbabwe is ours too!

Many still question why the constitution has been reduced to a contest of just three political parties namely ZANU PF and MDC formations instead of the whole nation. This poison that has been injected into our nation must be eliminated because the people of Zimbabwean are not as docile as what the politicians take them to me. While this debate of who should write a constitution appears more poignant with each passing day, what lies ahead of us is not only an onerous task but an important choice to be made by the whole nation that will shape the next generation. It is a task that must be executed with caution by every Zimbabwean. It’s high time we get over the politics of thinking that everything in Zimbabwe starts and ends with Mugabe and Tsvangirai.

“Vote Yes” has been the ZANU PF and the two MDC formations war cry and they have been trying so hard to convince the people of Zimbabwe to support their party positions, they have continued to pursue various subterranean devices, they have gone on an offensive preaching green lies to their supporters about how good the constitutional draft is. If this is not a scandal of untold proportions, then nothing is. But what’s key to note here is that their supporters are not unthinking robots as they think, but they are human beings with reason and intellect and capable of making informed decisions not because Morgan or Robert advised them to vote yes. It is just political gibberish and daydreaming not supported by any empirical evidence to believe that any progressive Zimbabwean will hearken to the dictates from the political parties.

Given the foregoing, the political parties have upped their game in their pursuit of the yes vote by sloganeering the yes vote whenever they get the chance, but the question is what exactly are people voting for when they vote yes? In the end who is going to have the last laugh? I was amused by the high levels of ignorance people have towards the constitution draft. Recently I had a discussion with a close friend of mine about the draft. He didn’t know that in the new constitution the President may at any time remove the Attorney-General from office. What this means is that if the incumbent president chooses to protect his supporters or apologists from prosecution, the attorney general will have to comply with the presidents’ directive, and failure to do so will result in dismissal.

Having such a provision in the constitution allows or gives room for the selective application of the law. If we look at the prosecution of human right defenders and opposition supporters in the last decade especially under the current Attorney General,Tomana,results of torture, kidnapping and killing by state agents has been on the prowl and it is sad to note that none of these perpetrators have been brought to book. For how long should the country continue stalking under the heel of oppression in as far as selective application of the law is concened? Time would fail me if I am to talk about executive authority. The COPAC draft falls short in addressing issues that affect us on a day to day basis therefore the people of Zimbabwe should reject it by voting a big “NO”. Many will ask what happens next if we vote no. What means is that the whole process will start all over again. This will send a direct message to the politicians to put people first.

Those in power and the ones aspiring to get into power are seeking to preserve their interests and the price or sacrifice for such a parochial goal is the ordinary Zimbabwean. This writer is aware that it is natural because of sin, for a robber to protect his loot. The murderer has to continue murdering so as to protect his own life and interest but generally there is a hangman, so is the eternal fitness of all human power has an end, today for him, maybe tomorrow for you. Zimbabweans have been taken for granted for many years and if people can be honest with each other for a moment, we will find out that people have been sidelined from the onset. Firstly the politician tempered with people’s views captured in the national report and replaced them with their own. It is also important to note that the additions and subtraction in the national report were effected during “closed meetings,” far away from people. No one knew the contents of the deliberations.


It is true that the glamour of materialism has to a greater degree destroyed the innocence and purity of the national conscience in Zimbabwe given the suffering that people are going through, but, still beyond our politics, beyond our soulless industrialism, generations after us are going to pay for our careless and treasonous negligence if we always at according to the dictates of politicians. Why should the next generation suffer for crimes that we can solve today? Voting yes to such a treasonous draft will perpetuate the politics of patronage which will continue to haunt generations to come. Why should politicians rush people into voting for a draft that has shortcomings so that they protect their interests?

How can COPAC delay publishing the national report that has can people’s views and yet it has come up with a draft that is meant to deceive people into believing that it contains their views captured during the outreach programmes.What lies! The shameful thing about this COPAC process is that the political parties are not even remorseful while doing such a treasonous and poisonous act. Common sense and remorse has suddenly disappeared even from the most parties that shamefully call themselves the “people’s party.”

It is against such a background that the same politicians, who have perpetrated unwarranted suffering on the people through demonic and moronic policies such as the indigenization and empowerment, are coming back to the people begging for a “yes” vote come referendum time to extend their looting schemes, yet when they were adding and subtracting the contents of people’s views, they never cared to consult people.
The choice is yours Zimbabwe.

Rawlings Magede is a rural political enthusiast who writes from Nkayi, Matebeleland North province. He can be contacted on rawedge699@gmail.com

Response to Zimbabwe Youth Council

My inbox has been inundated by messages from the Zimbabwe Youth Council questioning the motive of my well-researched article published by Nehanda news and that appeared on my blog (http//:no-rawedge.blogspot.com). They have even divorced themselves from the comments attributed to their Director, Livingston Dzikira.

Dzikira however has chosen to distance himself from what he said at a UNICEF organized workshop where I happened to be. It is such an impulsive culture of lies and deceit that makes one to wonder and question if at all his comments ruffled and exposed the credibility and independence of Zimbabwe Youth Council from external pressures. The youth council should note that it is not the media’s that their director carelessly commented on the issue, now that he has noticed the danger and damage of his comments; he decides to divorce himself from such comments so as to save his job. It is such culture that stifles to a standstill every prospect of innovation within the youth council.

I remain and maintain that the media comments attributed to him are factual and true. I however question why the Youth Council has chosen to make an aggressive follow up on such an article when it drags its feet on the audit and transparency of how the fund was disbursed. Many youth have sought audience with the youth council on how the fund was implemented but to date many haven’t got any satisfactory response if there was ever any. It leaves a lot of questions unanswered. What the Youth council , should be absorbed in is how they can carry out an audit of those who diverted and misused the funds, of course with consultation with Old Mutual and CABS, the other ‘partners’. Simply put, they must just explain themselves and stop seeking a redress from me.What is key is to give a detailed feedback to the ministry and youths on proposal requirements, the youths who benefited and draw up an all-inclusive youth plan that will be more transparent.

WHICH DEVELOPMENT HONOURABLE SITHEMBISO NYONI?

The recent story published by Newsday about the Minister of Small and Medium Enterprises and co-operative Development ,Sithembiso Nyoni,who is the MP for Nkayi North ,made sad reading. She called for a political rally in her constituency disguised as a “development” meeting.

This is not only a move by a misguided and an incompetent MP, but a telling example of someone who has lost the meaning of what it means to be a leader. The story made me sympathize with the people in her constituency who had walked for long distances on foot given the shortage of transport owing to a poor road network, with the hope that they were going to get funds for income generating projects. To their surprise, it turned out to be a ZANU PF political rally campaign. What still boggles my mind is why the honourable minister is not shameful for staging such a moronic gaffe, designed to take people for granted. For how long shall the people of Kana and Gokwe be taken for granted by successive politicians?

One after the other, over the years, they have neglected, abused Constituency Development Funds (CDF) at the expense of development in their constituencies. Nothing of significance has been done in Nyoni’s respective constituency. It is no news that Matebeleland North is underdeveloped. It is shocking now that many MP’s have made a beeline in the region to try and lure voters with impending pools looming. They do so under the sickening rhetoric of developing their constituencies.

What these brown-envelope seeking MP’s should be reminded is that the electorate has been shortchanged and cheated so many times. The community leaders in Nyoni’s constituency threatened to beat Nyoni because they are now tired of her sickening blatant lies. The electoral bell of change and defeat continues to toll for MP’s such as Sithembiso Nyoni.

The time is up especially for the masters of old school tricks and deception such as Sithembiso Nyoni( Nkayi North) Flora Buka(Gokwe Nembudziya),Mpukuta Lovemore(Gokwe –Mapfungautsi),Mushore Luke(Gokwe-Gumunyu),Ngwenya Busy(Gokwe-Kana),Sai ShaddyGokwe –Sengwa) and Sindi Cephas(Gokwe Chireya ,their eleventh hour is nigh. They have failed to transform Gokwe and Kana into a modern community with at least basic amenities during their terms in office. Some have made empty promises designed to gain Machiavellian mileage aimed at deceiving the electorate but this time around, they will be fail dismally. Theirs is going to be an electoral defeat that is going to put to an end to the suffering of people in Kana and Gokwe. Nkayi today resembles an ancient community with no basic amenities, a poor road system, few schools, and two hospitals.

The story in Nkayi is sad, many people walk for many kilometers to access the only missionary hospital, Kana Mission Hospital and the one in Nkayi, where there is shortage of staff, no drugs, where patients who are admitted to the hospital are required to bring their own food. That is not all, the mortuaries are dysfunctional, and the hospitals cannot access adequate anti-retroviral drugs owing to a dilapidated and poor road network. The roads are dusty from Nkayi town all the way to Gokwe Centre. This makes it difficult for people to access schools and hospitals etc.
Gokwe Centre is the only place where there are tarred roads; from there the roads become dusty. What it means is transport operators shun the Nkayi-Gokwe or Gokwe-Manoti route because of poor road network and high operating costs. The few buses that ply the route cannot meet the transport woes that affect the people. In areas such as Kana and Gokwe, you have to wake up during midnight just to catch a bus, an ancient phenomenon whereby there was only one bus to service one route. What this means for the ordinary man in Nkayi-Gokwe is that they will have to walk on foot to access a hospital, schools, etc.

What these MP’s want are mere votes at the expense of development. For them the state of the road doesn’t bother them, because when they visit their remote, dilapidated constituencies, they will travel comfortably in their SUV’S and 4x4’s vehicles.
The need for community development such as having tarred roads does not bother them. At one point the MP for Gokwe-Kana, Ngwenya Busy, attempted to build a mortuary at Kana Mission Hospital when he won the election, but to date the development on the mortuary has since stopped.Noone has an explanation why the construction stopped. Most of the time he is seen by members of the community in his immaculate Isuzu 4x4 truck at Kana Mission Shops where he operates a grocery shop. No one, not even the revered community leaders from the headman to the chief can dare seek for an explanation from him for fear of being branded an MDC supporter and sellout.

Kana-Gokwe still lags behind in terms of real development, thanks to Econet which erected a booster at Kana Mission recently but the development in communication is not corresponded by infrastructural development.Sithembiso Nyoni can afford to abuse the people in her constituency by making false promises so as to win their support but her time of reckoning is nigh.

The false and deceptive meeting called by Nyoni reveal the deception of an incorrigible sell-out who has abandoned her constituency for the bogus luxuries that come with being an MP.So what development can she talk about when her own constituency lies in derelict? The people must vote wisely and give the boot to such tricksters. The people in Kana and Gokwe,have the power to change predicaments and circumstances, and this can be achieved by voting against such manipulative MP’s who have inflicted emotional pain and stress on them while they enjoy luxuries.

Gokwe-Kana is home for most of us, not an experimental ground for successive MP’s to carry out tests.

Rawlings Magede writes in his personal capacity and can be contacted on rawedge699@gmail.com who writes from Nkayi, Matabeleland North province.

WHO ARE THE REAL YOUTHS?

Over the years the Zimbabwe has witnessed many socio-political and economic changes. These changes have a direct effect on every age group. However, the most vulnerable group is the youth who remain at the mercy of circumstances. With the scourge of unemployment running rampant, many fall unsuspectingly into the trap of being used for other selfish means by politicians.
The youth constitute the majority of the population, this entails that whenever there is any economic haemorrhage and meltdown, and they are affected the most. Despite this, over the years, the youth have played servitude and prostration at the hands of politicians who have continued to use them as barricades against leadership change and renewal.
The problem we have in Zimbabwe today is that those in positions of leadership are not prepared to relinquish their privileges so as to accommodate the plight of the suffering masses ( youths included)such as dealing with the high rate of unemployment, either because of ideological deficiency and selfishness. Such elements turn to the youth for political survival. Zimbabwe has a wanton record of political led violence. Every time the country goes for elections, violence characterizes the process and it is a morass to a peaceful political transition. All this stifles the democratic process.

Despite having many organizations that purport to advance the concerns of the youth, the majority of youth remain vulnerable to manipulation by politicians. I am not sure if I should conclude that these organizations are not doing enough to advance and raise awareness among the relevant stakeholders. The youth remain unemployed and destitute and this means that as long as the youth remain unemployed, political violence can never be eradicated.
A telling example is the OLD mutual Youth Fund that was politicized from the beginning. To date many youths still live under false hope that their projects are still being considered. Despite the Ministry of Youth and empowerment stating that the agricultural sector received the largest allocation of funds under the Old Mutual Youth Development Fund that was being administered by CABS since 2009, it remains to be seen what the so-called agricultural projects will yield.Acccording to the ministry the agricultural sector received 34% of the grant, distribution took 315%,manufacturing 23%,service 11% and mining1%.The ordinary youth still questions the opaque manner in which the fund was disbursed. The mystery of why their project proposals were turned down continues to haunt many today.
The youth ministry also allege that the fund also benefitted youths from Nyanga, Mutare, Macheke,Bulawayo,Masvingo,Hwange and Gweru. If what the ministry is saying is anything to go by, then an audit of how the youth fund was disbursed is needed to find out if the process was not done in a partisan manner. The audit should be done by an independent commission made of members from civic society, youth leaders from communities and political parties. A cursory cross checking of facts reveals that the fund was abused or diverted for other “projects”.

Recent media reports suggest that The Zimbabwe Youth council that three quarters of the youth who benefitted from the fund diverted the money meant for projects. "Some of you are now asking the reason why we are have resorted to paying for what one would have applied to get for his or her project because the money is being diverted," Livingston Dzikira Zimbabwe Youth Council Director told reporters in Nyanga at the UNICEF workshop,

"So far from the people who have benefited, 70% of them have diverted the funds. Some have taken the loans to pay lobola and those are the same people you seem at public forums denouncing the program”. This reveals serious levels of corruption and graft. In the first place why was the process done secretly? Why did the ministry of youth not do a wide consultation across the country to assess the projects? If the youth council knows as Dzikira clearly states the names of people who abused the fund, what has his office done to deal with such gross abuse of funds?
The youth fund was politicized from from the beginning when Vice president Joice Mujuru officiated the programme under the watchful eye of Kasukuwere.This they saw an opportunity to drum up support for ZANU PF and revive its waning popularity. It’s a pity that most youths not aligned to ZANU actually wasted their time and resources coming with project proposals with the hope of having their proposals approved. It’s not given that half of the youth in the country are politically affiliated to any party, there are some who are just concerned about leading normal lives.

Livingston Dzikira admitted that as far as the disbursing of funds was concerned, he had no oversight and control whatsoever. Asked by reporters at the same occasion of his affiliation to Zanu-PF which has raised concerns by the public over how deserving youths benefit from youth empowerment programme Dzikira said he follows orders given to him by Saviour Kasukuwere, the minister of Youth Empowerment Minister who is Zanu-PF.

"I am an employee, who reports to the board and when the body is not present I give reports directly to the responsible Minister and it is impossible for you to separate me from that otherwise I get fired, "he said. In other words what he was saying is that the youth fund was meant for ZANU PF youths, all he does in his capacity as director is to process finalized suggestions of names from Kasukuwere.Why then did Old mutual and the ministry of youth bother the ordinary youth to apply for the fund when they knew that the fund was meant for ZANU PF youths? The youths had to scavenge for money to prepare and photocopy the project documents when in actual fact they were not qualified for the fund before they even applied.
One startling fact is that Kasukuwere is deputized by Tongai Matutu from MDC-T, the peoples’ part and party of excellence”. What is excellent about the MDC when it cannot question such an injustice as far as the disbursing of the youth fund is concerned.Matutu and his other comrades from the MDC are still obsessed with the luxuries of being in government that come with luxurious cars and bogus allowances while neglecting their role in government? The MDC ministers should not be anyone’s tool in government; they should at least denounce such injustices from within government. The reality within the Ministry of Youth is depressing; no backbone, no drives towards empowering youth save for those affiliated to ZANU PF.
Most youth organizations that claim to stand for the plight of the youth are just lily-livered opportunists united by money and the anti-Mugabe mantra but who remain mentally and materially beholden to other people who in most cases are politicians. The real youth that they claim to represent are just imaginary and non-existent. Many of them just play “a watch and see attitude” even whenever they should advocate.
Despite Zimbabwe being a signatory of many international conventions that respect the role of the youth in economic and political issues, Zimbabwean youths remain on the sidelines in as far as issues of governance and their welfare are concerned. The Zimbabwe Peoples Charter section on youth clearly states that;
“Believing that at all given times the youth, both female and male, represent the present and the future of our country and that all those in positions of leadership nationally and locally must remain true to the fact that our country shall be passed on from one generation to the next,
The People state that, in order for each generation to bequeath to the next a country that remains the epitome of hope, democracy and sustainable livelihoods, the following principles for the youth must be adhered to and respected:
The youth shall be guaranteed the right to education at all levels until they acquire their first tertiary qualification.
The youth shall be guaranteed an equal voice in decision-making processes that not only affect them but the country as a whole in all spheres of politics, the national economy and social welfare. •
The youth shall be guaranteed access to the right to health.
The youth shall not be subject to political abuse through training regimes that connote political violence or any semblance of propaganda that will compromise their right to determine their future as both individuals and as a collective.
The youth have the right to associate and assemble and express themselves freely of their own prerogative.”
The inclusive government has fallen short in addressing any of the tenets of the people’s charter. The principles in the peoples’ charter on youth are social welfaristic that harness together all the socio-economic ills that affect youths daily. The inclusive government continues to sideline the youth in issues such constitution reform, tertiary education, social welfare and health.
I am yet to understand what it means to be a youth in Zimbabwe. Does it mean that you must be a member of a political party youth wing that is used to unleash violence against an innocent, exposed and vulnerable electorate and be given trinkets as a form of reward or be a member of a youth organization where you are allowed certain priviledges?I don’t know. May the real youth stand up!!
Rawlings Magede writes in his personal capacity and can be contacted on rawedge699@gmail.com