Youths disrupt SADC People's Summit march in Byo over t-shirts

TODAY's solidarity march for the just ended SADC People's Summit held in Zimbabwe's second largest city of Bulawayo had to temporarily stop following disruptions caused by errant youths protesting against the decision by organizers not to give youths participants t-shirts given to elderly delegates.

Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (Zimcodd) - the organization in charge of the logistics of the event attended by around 1500 delegates coming across all member countries of Southern Africa was expected to print about 2000 t-shirts but printed only 400 t-shirts forcing delegates to scramble to get the regalia for the procession.

After sensing a potential protest the organizers immediately announced the shortage to delegates and issued an apology but that was not enough to convince buoyant youths from different youth organizations to swiftly mobilize a protest.

"We are not involved unless you give us t-shirts," errant youths chanted songs as they demonstrated in front of the main procession causing a commotion which lasted for about half an hour.

The youths demanded that all elderly t-shirts spotting t-shirts must remove them and give them to young people who still have the energy to toyi-toyi but elderly people were adamant to give in to their demands.

"Why do you discriminate against us? We are all equal and unless everyone removes these t-shirts this march is not going to start," shouted the angry youths.

It was after traffic cops tasked to lead the procession arrived that the youths dispersed and allowed the procession to resume.

Although the Summit has been lauded by many civic society leaders as a success in terms of meeting the objectives of the convection, organizers have been blamed for poor mobilization including failure to provide adequate food for delegates and failure to organize spacious conference rooms for break-away sessions for different participating organizations.