Cephas Shava
MWENEZI– In his prophetic warnings to the nation of Israel prophet Hosea sums up: ‘my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge’ in Hosea 4:6.
Distinct as it is, the prophetic message insinuates that devoid of knowledge, inhabitants are destined for doom.
The prophetic message seems to be squarely apt for most of the country’s youth with regards to their reluctance to participate in the country’s politics, could it be as voters or political office holders.
A 24-year old lady from village 4, Mwenezi ward 13 and is also yet to register as a voter with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) told TellZim News that politics does not matter to her.
“I have never voted in my lifetime and to be honest I don’t think I will in anyway take my time to participate in elections. Honestly to me politics do not matter that much. It is something that is completely off my plans,” she said.
Her scenario is a microcosm of most reluctant youth especially in rural communities like Mwenezi where most youth have become political bystanders.
They seldom participate in elections either as voters or candidates. Many are increasing devoid of the fact that every facet of human life is determined by politics; failure to participate is a disservice which is a double-edged sword to generations.
Zanu PF provincial youth secretary for transport and warfare Maggie Sibanda acknowledged that youth in rural communities like Mwenezi have since time immemorial been political back sitters and more still needs to be done to correct the anomalies.
“As Zanu PF youth, we are happy that during our recent youth conference, President Emmerson Mnangangwa gave emphasis to the youth quota system and we are confident that come next year’s elections more youth are going to contest in various posts.
“It is regrettable that for the past years youth in communities like Mwenezi have developed a culture of preserving politically elected posts could it be in the local authority or the legislator to the older generation,” said Sibanda.
Platform for Youth and Community Development Zimbabwe Director (PYCDZ) Claris Madhuku whose organization is making commendable strides in mobilizing the public to consider young people as the most informed and versatile politicians with craft said although together with several other stakeholders they have managed to record remarkable successes in their work, more still needs to be done such that come next year’s elections more youth will participate in the electoral processes as voters as well as candidates.
“The interest of the young people to vote and contest has been very minimal due to a number of factors. Some of the reasons being cultural and behavioural patterns of voters who consider young people in a rural set up as having not matured enough to handle the rigours of politics which are interpreted as sustained by money and chicanery.
“Most young people in the rural areas have not yet overcome their basic needs within the hierarchy of needs as propounded by scholar Maslow. This has been a hindrance because most voters expect the candidates and their political leadership to improve their economic standing,” said Madhuku.
On his part, the Citizen Coalition for Change (CCC) interim provincial deputy youth chairperson Lovemore Mapuranga who squarely blamed youth themselves on their reluctance to participate in politics, pointed out that CCC has so far made a giant leap towards prioritising youth’s voices as evidenced by the number of youth who contested in the recent by-elections.
“As a clear reflection that our party priorities youth voices, two youthful candidates were fielded in Masvingo Urban council by-elections and they managed to triumph. What has now remained is for such initiatives to be brought to rural communities like Mwenezi and I am confident come next year’s general elections more youth from rural communities are going to contest for the local authority and legislative posts,” said Mapuranga.
He also bemoaned that for the past years most poorly resourced youth have preferred to prop up the older generation as political office bearers as in most rural areas where the resourcefulness of a candidate inevitably determines his or her political destiny.
“It is unfortunate that most youth have developed a carefree attitude towards elections and some have developed a habit of completely shunning election participation. Since youth constitute the majority, they need to mobilise and register to vote such that whenever they race against the older generation, they will prevail as they will obviously vote for one another,” he added.
Some analysts argue the gospel of youth participation in electoral processes to effectively penetrate and to fully bear tangible fruits it ought not to be spearheaded by political parties.
They insist that it is an initiative which should be seriously nurtured at every family level and then vigorously cascaded to institutions like schools, churches and other critical institutions where youth are inevitably exposed to the messages.
As the count down to 2023 general elections gather momentum, with political parties claiming to be at the forefront of championing the youth’s cause in the political field, stakeholders’ commitment towards the genuine implementation of the youth quota system will have its litmus test.
