Unruly youths torment cops, vendors

DRUNK teenagers wreaked havoc in Bulawayo’s city centre on Saturday giving vendors and police a hard time.

It has become a tradition for some pupils to meet during the first and last Saturday of the school holiday in town and other local spots on the outskirts of the city, abusing alcohol and drugs.

The beginning of this school holiday was no exception.

Hordes of visibly drunk youngsters could be seen around the Central Business District (CBD) engaging in violent behaviour, urinating on pavements, and kissing in public.

The CBD was filled with adolescents of school going age who were shouting obscenities at passers-by and kicking vendors’ wares.

Some could be seen driving in kombis playing loud music and dangerously hanging onto moving vehicles.

There was increased police presence in a bid to control the unruly juveniles who were disturbing business and the flow of traffic especially around Bulawayo Centre and Haddon and Sly supermarket.

The situation was the same in other areas outside the CBD.

Some teenagers who spoke to The Chronicle said it’s now a tradition to party and have sex on the first and last Saturday of every school holiday.

“We have been away at boarding schools for three months, so this is our way of catching a breath from pressures of school, enjoying with our friends,” said a 16-year-old who refused to be named.

“We meet in town and drink in the afternoon, then later in the evening we go to bars and continue with our drinking.”

Parents expressed disappointment teenagers’ “un-African” behaviour.

“What these children are doing is un-African and exhibits behaviour they see in American movies. When they drink they start kissing in public and insulting their elders and this is not acceptable in the African culture,” said a Mrs Nyoni who was dragging her drunk Form Three girl at a local supermarket on Saturday.

Bulawayo spokesperson Inspector Precious Simango could not be reached for comment.

In May, Bulawayo police issued a warning to juveniles following rowdy behaviour exhibited by some of them in the city, during the last weekend of the school holiday.

Police also said it was against the law for anyone to sell alcohol to persons under the age of 18.— PrinceNkosy102. at the