Zimbabwe needs to reclaim its youth
ANOTHER week, another murder, another headline. The news cycle has been littered with hard-to-believe stories of violence in mining.
There was hope that machete gangs which have become topical, unusually so, would be out of the headlines by now.
But it turns out we may be reading about them for some time to come, much to the consternation of the nation and all law-abiding citizens.
Fortunately, heightened calls for action have prompted the police to act.
Arrests are now being made as law enforcement finally remembers how to clamp down on violent crimes.
There has been a worrying element in the arrests, as the youth make up the majority of those in custody.
One of the violent gangs included a 14-year-old member, a child who should be in Form 2.
This should be a cause for concern for the Government, churches and civic society down to the family unit.
Past generations had artisanal mining, they had gold buyers and other lucrative vocations, but they didn’t kill each other wantonly.
Is there something wrong with the current crop of youthful Zimbabweans, why is the sanctity of life suddenly not an issue?
Zimbabwe is facing a serious deficiency in young people who are inspiring.
Not to say there are no young people who have managed to push the envelope and have broken glass ceilings, they are there.
The unfortunate part is there have been more stories of errant youths more than trailblazing ones.
As media, we admit more needs to be done to cover inspiring stories, but sometimes finding a positive youth-related story is easier said than done.
Zimbabwe needs to reclaim its youth. The country’s informal sector is made up of young people, the front-runners manipulating the economy through rent seeking behaviour.
Something needs to be done urgently to fix the environment.
Maybe more funding by Government on start-ups can help create viable alternatives to unemployment.
As it stands, young people are willing participants to the destruction of their own future.
Whether this is a product of economic desperation or pure greed, it makes for good reading.
Besides machete gangs, there is a different set of “terrorist” operating on the economic front.
The word “runner” is common lingo in the underground economy.
These are young energetic people who are proxies of rich kingpins, these young people do all the dirty work on behalf of the rich and sometimes elderly.
For a small fee or commission, they put themselves and their futures at risk.
And they do not even hesitate to kill on behalf of their handlers.
Most of the youths who spend the day at street corners flashing wads of banknotes, some brand new, are being used to mop up foreign currency by big players in plush air-conditioned offices.
No country can afford to fold its arms as shady individuals become role models, in a negative sense for that matter.
There is need to rid the quick buck mentality currently dominating the minds of the young, as the country’s civility depends on it.
Zimbabwe needs a deliberate strategy which shares inspirational stories among youths.
The narrative has to be controlled to ensure prevailing ideas are those premised on diligence and hard work.
We need to have more youth heroes. The Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation has not publicly shared its 2020 vision, which could be a good thing at this point.
Minister Kirsty Coventry and her team should be seized with ensuring there are more opportunities for young people.
There should be viable alternatives to being runners and wielding machetes.
That way, it becomes easier to dissuade people from entering trades of a criminal nature.
Law enforcement should also save young people from themselves, for by not taking action they become accomplices.
Drug abuse and peddling is rampant across cities, there are now well-known “bases” in suburbs, one wonders where the police are.
Young people are dying, going to jail, some scarred mentally and physically for life.
Maybe the waning principle of patriotism is the reason young people are working against the good of their country for personal gain.
We need to draw lessons from other countries and how they keep their youths committed to the national ethos.
In Zimbabwe, the National Youth Service exists, but its scope needs to be expanded, improved and secure the buy-in of all members of the society.
Maybe, we can take leaf out of countries like Nigeria which has a voluntary service which young graduates have to go through before they can have their full qualification conferred on them.
It usually lasts a year.
Maybe, Zimbabwean authorities can also experiment with the formula and see what they can borrow from Nigeria`s National Youth Service Corps to improve on what we already have.
There will obviously be need for research and consultation, but that is a route Zimbabwe may need to consider.
Or there could be considerations on incentives.
Perhaps there is need to empower young people who have resorted to less flattering, but legal ways to earn money.
For all we know, they could have resorted to crime, but chose a clean way to earn their keep.
Maybe, Government can come up with a scholarship for young people who are vending, cleaning streets and doing other menial jobs.
There should be an incentive for good consciences and clean behaviour.
We need to save the youth from the claws of greed — the future of the country depends on it.
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