By Maggie Chogugudza
Zengeza 2- Youth in Chitungwiza recently vowed to collaborate with the war veterans for a better Zimbabwe at a dialogue meeting held by Youth Forum Zimbabwe in Chitungwiza.
The dialogue was an initiative by Youth Forum Zimbabwe to create platforms for youth and war veterans to come up with a united action in a bid to improve the socio-economic and political situation in Zimbabwe.
Addressing the youth at the meeting in Chitungwiza yesterday, Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association spokesperson Cde Douglas Mahiya urged the youth to take responsibility of fighting corruption and to democratize Zimbabwe for a better tomorrow and to provide a sustainable future for their children.
“You the youth of today have the generational duty to make sure that Zimbabwe has been democratized, for without democracy you do not have any share in the economy. If you do not act today as the youth you will end up being recolonized because as it is as a country, we are towards recolonisation” said Mahiya.
Cde Mahiya also urged the youth to appreciate the role played by the war veterans to liberate Zimbabwe.
“Today must swallow its pride in order to accommodate yesterday for tomorrow to be there” said Mahiya.
Representatives from youth civil society organizations also added their voice yesterday, calling on the youth and the war veterans to collaborate and map a way forward.
Youth Forum Zimbabwe Coordinator Mr. Wellington Zindove said “We have noticed that there are similarities between our situation as youth and the young people of 1980s, therefore we created these platforms so that we can get knowledge and expertise from the war veterans on how to create a better Zimbabwe”.
“Their messages recently has been similar to what we have been advocating for. Our aim for these dialogue is to create platforms for young people to collaborate with the war veterans to have better societies” he added.
Chitungwiza Community Development Network Programmes Manager Admire Mutize said “It is very important for us as youth to engage and collaborate with the war veterans to learn political strategies to defend our rights for struggles of 1970s mirrors of our own.”
“As we are going in 2018 elections as youth we need to participate and choose a party which will deliver the change we have always been demanding” said Mutize
Philemon Jambaya a freelance journalist bemoans the violation of youth’s political rights and urges the youth to refuse to be used by the political leaders as tools for political violence.
Addressing the youth Jambaya said “Our political rights have always been suppressed and a lot of youth have been victims of political violence and intimidation. As youth we should refuse to be used as tools of political violence”.
“As youth we are should identify our ideology and pave our way forward just like what the war veterans did during their time. Gone are the days when we were told that we are leaders of tomorrow, it is now the time for us to take the leadership position” said Jambaya.
Youth Forum Chairperson Godfrey Kuraone also bemoans the economic situation and the high rate of unemployment in the country despite promises of two million jobs.
“We have been promised jobs but we did not get anything. We should ask for what we have been promised” said Kuraone.
Concluding, the meeting the youth vowed to have a united action with the war veterans for a better Zimbabwe.
