Kasukuwere, ZYC under fire THE beleaguered Zimbabwe Youth Coun- would legitimise the process. cil (ZYC) has been plunged into turmoil “We will not waste our time trying to get following the Minister of Youth, Indigeni- into this board because we know that the pro- sation and Empowerment Saviour cess is not transparent. We saw how the previ- Kasukuwere’s decision to dissolve the ous board was frustrated when they wanted to ZYC board in December amid revelations carry out their duties so we feel that for as long that the finance committee of the board as the ZYC Act is not amended and is not in was about to institute a probe on ZYC di- tandem with the African Youth Charter, we rector Livingstone Dzikira and his cronies will be wasting our time,” said one youth lead- at the institution. er who requested to be anonymous. Allegations are that he Finance com- However, some youth leaders say that they mittee had for the past year unearthed a are also worried about the role that is being series of fraudulent activities that allegedly played by UNICEF and UNDP in this whole involved Kasukuwere, Dzikira and other circus saying that the two multilateral agencies key council personnel. were wasting money fuelling an institution that Close sources in the board told this is becoming an enemy of young people which reporter Tuesday that the finance commit- they say is not serving any purpose at all. tee had questioned the irregular procure- Meanwhile, all is not well at the troubled ment of furniture delivered to institution with news filtering through to The Kasukuwere’s office by the ZYC using New Age Voices that Dzikira has embarked on funds availed to ZYC for the procurement a clean-up exercise of the Institution where of office furniture by the United Nations those who are deemed unsympathetic to his Development Programme (UNDP). leadership are being involuntarily transferred However, what seems to have irked to regional and district offices where most of Kasukuwere is the behaviour of the board them are met with empty trays, a situation members that he personally nominated and which some of them are saying is tailor-made those that he thought were aligned to his to frustrate them. Zanu PF party whom he felt were becom- Efforts to get a comment from Dzikira were ing hostile to his leadership and to that of fruitless the whole week as he was said to be his trusted lieutenant, Dzikira. attending to some business in Chiredzi. In October, the board led by The ZYC used to be based at Zanu PF head- Kasukuwere’s nominee in the board Lucky quarters before the formation of the Inclusive Kandemiri in his presentation to the parlia- government but later switched base as Zanu mentary portfolio committee on youth, PF tried to apply cosmetic reforms to the coun- warned Kasukuwere and Zanu PF leader cil and also shake off the stigma associated Robert Mugabe of North African style up- with Zanu PF through allowing the election of risings if they continued to ignore the 7 board members to the council. plight of young people in the country. ACCUSED: Saviour Kasukuwere However, the fresh face that ZYC sought to present has The final straw seemed to have come in December on the turned out to be a very ugly face as most youths are slowly side-lines of the strategic planning meeting of the council in it stated that prospective board members who wanted to get disassociating themselves from the activities of the council Victoria Falls when the board snubbed Kasukuwere and opted into the board through a round of elections should meet set which they now view as an “extension of the Zanu PF youth to caucus it first leaving Kasukuwere with an egg in his face academic qualifications, clearly defeating the point of going wing”. prompting him to cancel the meeting and immediately dis- to elections. Two years after its re-branding, youths say the ZYC has solve the board. Youths who were interviewed by The New Age Voices not been able to offer any meaningful support to youth organ- The ZYC recently flighted adverts in the Sunday Mail for said that they decided not to take part in the process because isations but is surprisingly implementing activities on its own the vacant board member positions and surprised many when it is clear that the process is flawed and hence participating without the involvement of youth organisations. Elections: Zanu youths grab Kwekwe goldfields YOUTHS from Zanu PF have all but claimed will be allowed to enter the fields and they employment rate has scaled alarming TAKE PART the controversial Sherwood gold fields which will do so through party structures. Those that heights but more often than not, the few IN THE CONSTITUTIONAL MAKING were sealed off by the Zimbabwean Republic are not known within the party will not ac- available opportunities have been falling PROCESS Police (ZRP) last month after fortune hunters cess,” Ncube was quoted as saying. prey to the cunning Zanu PF youths at the LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD IN TIME discovered several blocks of gold in the min- One youth who requested anonymity for expense of the majority. eral rich belt. fear of reprisals said that the youths in the This is not the first time that resources The stages that have been implemented The youths led by prominent Zanu PF midlands city were worried over Mudha and that would have been declared a national The Appointment of the Constitution youth who is also the party’s secretary for company’s actions arguing that all youths treasure have been manipulated by politi- Select Committee security Owen “Mudha” Ncube are moving regardless of political affiliation should be cians in Zanu PF. When the Chiadzwa dia- All stakeholders Conference around the city claiming ownership of the given the chance to benefit from the gold rich monds were discovered about three years Outreach consultations gold belt and promising claims to those who area. ago, Zanu PF swiftly moved in to control Data uploading will vote for their party in the impending “It should not be about which party one the fields whose record of human rights Sitting of thematic committees plebiscite. supports but it should be about giving every abuses courted the ire of the Kimberly Pro- Mudha and company have also been ac- young person an opportunity to benefit from cess Certification Scheme. The stages that remain cused of fanning violence within their own the resources. Our hope is that the proceeds Legend has it that well known Zanu PF Drafting stage party over the gold fields and have since been from these fields will not be channelled to stalwarts and war veterans divided the dia- Second all stakeholders conference fighting former Zanu PF RDC coordinating sponsoring violence come election time,” said mond rich area amongst themselves and Draft constitution debate in Parliament committee chairman and war veteran George the youth from Amaveni high density suburb looted hard before they were sealed off by Referendum Makombe and one Robert Chipwanyira. in Kwekwe. “Only sons of and daughters of this area Kwekwe is one of those cities whose un- members of the ZRP and the army. Contact us for more information on how to take part in the remaining processes Ex minister exposes Mugabe, praises media hangman FORMER deputy minister of Information and publicity for the position. “If the GPA says that the appointments should be done Bright Matonga has exposed President Robert Mugabe The meeting which was organised by MISA Zimbabwe after consultation with…is different from in consultation whom he said appoints key government officials on the sought to establish the legality of the BAZ board which with. That is the problem that it is posed by such language basis that the individuals would give him favourable treat- Tsvangirai Claims is not properly constituted. Timba ar- in law. However, the biggest problem that we have is that ment during the discharge of their duties. gued that there was no way the BAZ board should continue we do not have a functional government system,” Matonga who was responding to questions from Jour- discharging its duties because it is illegally constituted on Madhuku said. nalists at the Quill Club in Harare said that there was no the basis that Prime Minister Tsvangirai was not consulted The media has for the past weeks awash with stories way Mugabe would appoint somebody whom he knows over the appointments. over the expiry of service chiefs’ contracts particularly that would arrest him as attorney general or commissioner gen- “The Prime Minister was never consulted over these of Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri and his subse- eral of the police because it does not make political sense, appointments hence whatever is there (BAZ Board) is null quent reappointment without the consent of Prime Minister much to the chagrin of people who were attending the pub- and void until the Prime Minister puts his input into those lic meeting. appointments, it’s as simple as that,” said Timba. Tsvangirai with most analysts saying that it is not surpris- Matonga was part of a panel that included Minister of Professor Lovemore Madhuku however said that the ing because that is how Mugabe has been behaving since State in Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s office Jame- problems that are bedevilling the Inclusive government are the inception of the GNU. Mugabe has in the past refused son Timba and Constitutional law expert Professor all because there is no clear governance system which to appoint MDC-T governors, permanent secretaries, Dep- Lovemore Madhuku further bemused the audience when he makes it difficult for players within the government to ef- uty Minister designate Agriculture Roy Bennett among a told the people that the appointment of the Broadcasting fectively carry out their duties.