TARIRO SENDERAYI
When the Roman phrase ‘brutum fulmen’ comes to mind a variety of metaphors begin to grace my mind. ‘Toothless bulldog’ some would say, others would prefer a ‘thunderless lightning bolt’ or better still, some would allude it to ‘a gun devoid of bullets’. This phrase is usually found in the archaic legal jargon that was Roman Dutch and simply means something that has no legal power or force to explore or achieve its mandate.
The National Youth Policy has been the document that the Minister of Youth at the time in 2013 endorsed as representing the needs of all young people in Zimbabwe. The Policy seeks to ensure that all young women and men are given meaningful opportunities to reach their full potential, both as individuals and as active participants in society. Furthermore, it addresses the concerns and issues critical to young people and gives direction to youth programmes and services provided by government and non-government organisations. All in all, young people and the greater Zimbabwe stand to benefit so much once this document has been given the wheels that are implementation.
Of paramount importance is that I touch on some interesting obligations that our President and the then Minister of Youth promised to undertake under this document.
Firstly, it is said that if the policy does not capture the needs of its clientele and is driven by such needs, it will fail to fulfill its purpose. This point piques my interest because in as much as this document is in existence it is failing to meet the needs of the youth of Zimbabwe. In fact, the document (as good as it is) is being dragged through the mud that is nonexistence.
The National Youth Policy is said to reflect the commitment by Government to meeting the needs and aspirations of young people as expressed by the youth themselves. Suffice to say this commitment is paper light and is still yet to roar into life at the implementation stage. This is in reference to the fact that our Governments’ commitment to young people herein is seen only as lip service because it would appear as though Government's commitments lay elsewhere. Their commitment to the young people of Zimbabwe is a question that begs an answer.
Upon close scrutiny of the guiding principles in the document, it dawns on me that we have a beautiful document before us, one if properly implemented guarantees that young people’s aspirations will be respected in the democracy that is Zimbabwe. Proper implementation will further guarantee our place as young people in the decision making processes of the nation in a transparent and just manner.
One such principle is the one that promulgates that the Government has a mandate to ensure that the overall well-being of young people is the highest priority over all else. Well this is a tricky one because it would appear as though we have to stand in line behind ‘more pressing matters’. Yet as we stand by, our generation is fast becoming one marred by alarming levels of moral decay as young people attempt to survive in an economy that has left them in either thuggery or prostitution. The economy has left them squeezing into an already flooded informal sector. Instead of receiving the “highest priority”, young people have been tossed to the sidewalk as our elders buzz through the tarmac that is devoid of any potholes. We don’t ask for much but for a way to sustain ourselves in a decent manner like our fathers did.
Secondly, the government promised to mainstream youth issues in terms of ensuring that the needs, opportunities and challenges faced by young men and women are the concern of the whole society. Right, with this principle it is only fair that I dial direct to the pertinent issues. Our needs can be narrowed to one…JOBS. We need jobs and an opportunity to sustain ourselves. It is not as if we want to be spoon fed but we want our university qualifications to afford us with reasonable jobs and opportunities in a thriving economy. Another need is of quality and accessible education. With the hike of tuition fees at our state universities, we cannot help but wonder if this does not defeat or impede the purpose of the NYP document.
In terms of opportunities, there is no opportunity that comes as a result of pure merit nowadays. Instead, it is all centered on whom you know and are affiliated with. An opportunity comes under the guise of being one, yet there are so many strings attached to it that end up turning that opportunity into a sad puppet show.
As for challenges faced, I can only highlight one that most of us come across almost on a day-to-day basis. In a bid to irk a living young people have turned to vending and in so doing have to bear with the brunt of council authorities constantly unleashing untold terror on them. That terror is either in the form of violence inflicted upon them physically or the destruction of their wares. Ultimately, their wares are stolen all in the name of putting the house in order. This challenge is one I think should be addressed immediately because young people have fast become the most disgruntled and have lost all hope for their generation. This is not a good look for the future of Zimbabwe.
Another eyebrow raising guiding principle is that of our Government promising that transparency and accessibility shall lace institutions and programmes whose objective is catapulting youth development. It is my opinion that transparency was not exercised when young people were allocated loans to spearhead various projects in previous years. The rumor mill is grinding out allegations that some of the beneficiaries of that programme fell outside the bracket of youth in terms of age. What does makes things worse is that we are on the verge of the LEAF (Localized Empowerment Accelerated Fund) of USD $10 million being disbursed and chances of history repeating itself are very high.
A transparency mechanism that needs to be put in place is one that publicizes the names of the so-called beneficiaries, their age, their constituencies, the projects they are undertaking and the amount of money they will be allocated. Better yet a data base should be created even online where those wishing to be motivated by previous beneficiaries can actually see what projects they undertook and progress therein. This information should not be a secret but should be easily accessible at any given time. Those who fail to repay the loans should have their names published so that they can bow their heads in shame and be brought to book. This is an accountability mechanism so that future beneficiaries know the repercussions that come as a result of failure to meet the promised obligation.
One such guiding principle that touches base with me as a young person in Zimbabwe is the one about prioritizing youth participation in national development, democratic and civic decision making processes. We strive for that open dialogue between young people and decision makers so as to incorporate the needs of young people in overall governance of the nation. In as much as we may lobby for that open dialogue, I think it is time to shift the focus and lobby instead for equal representation of youth in Parliament.
The status quo has us making a lot of noise whilst locked out of a giant iron door. Therefore, change shall be guaranteed once we have secured a significant number of seats in Parliament, instead of the current situation whereby ninety percent of our Members of Parliament are grey haired if not white haired already. Our days of being locked out of decision making processes shall be a thing of the distant past when we have almost fifty percent of youthful blood flowing through the veins of Parliament.
That being said, I urge all young people to take time out of their schedules and read the National Youth Policy and be informed on what exactly the document embodies. Having done so, for the National Youth Policy to achieve its mandate, we call on young people from all spheres and walks of life to come together with legal young minds to draft a legislative instrument we see fit to jump start the policy to life. Upon drafting it we keep in mind the ideologies found in the document. The end result shall be submitted to the Ministry of Youth and we shall not give them the chance to sit on it but will not rest until it has reached implementation.
Tariro Senderayi is a former law student at the Midlands State University, in Zimbabwe. She is currently availing her expertise at a youth-led organization called the Organizing for Zimbabwe Trust (O4Z)
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