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'MDC-T youths ready to stage demonstrations'

by Staff reporter
13 Jun 2014 at 09:14hrs | Views
MDC-T Bulawayo province youths Thursday said they are ready to stage demonstrations if their leader Morgan Tsvangirai calls them to the streets to vent their frustrations for what they say is "failure by government to address the ballooning unemployment", among other issues.

President Robert Mugabe recently warned against violent and illegal demonstrations, saying the security forces were ready to ensure the rule of law prevailed.

He said this in his key-note address during Independence celebrations after threats by opposition MDC-T leader Tsvangirai and his inner circle threatened to take to the streets to unseat Zanu-PF.

However, in a press conference at the MDC-T Bulawayo offices to announce their plans to commemorate International Day of the African Child on June 16, the youths said they were tired of being jobless.

"If it demands that demonstrations be done we will do them if we have to get jobs (sic)," said the provincial
secretary for Bulawayo youths Kunashe Muchemwa.

"We have noted there has been a dramatic shift ever since the end of the Government of National Unity, there has been a serious leadership crisis."

Speaking during the same event, the party's provincial youth spokesperson,  Charles Moyo, who is also the Ward 8 councillor, said the youths had waited in vain for the change of economic fortunes and the 2,2 million jobs as promised in the ZimAsset and feel that their party's economic policy - Jobs, Upliftment, Capital Investment and Ecology (Juice) can fare better.

"If Morgan (Tsvangirai) calls us to demonstrate, we will demonstrate. We will be ready to direct all our energies to that," he said.

The youths also denied that the party was on the verge of collapse due to factional fights between Tsvangirai and the Tendai Biti-led faction, saying the once vibrant opposition was undergoing "transformation".

"There are precedents of what is happening in our party, so it's nothing new. Zapu 2000 broke away from Zapu, MDC99 and Welshman (Ncube) also broke away from MDC, in fact it has happened all over the world but  we might even emerge stronger," said Muchemwa.

Source - Zim Mail