Reprieve for retrenched youth officers

Zanu-PF National Secretary for the Youth Affairs, Kudzanai Chipanga, has said all the youth officers who had been retrenched from Government, including those in Maniclaand, had been reinstated.

President Mugabe expressed concern over the retrenchement of more than 2 000 youths without Cabinet approval during his address at the Presidential Youth Interface Rally in Mashonaland West recently.

He called for their reinstatement.

"All the youth officers who were retrenched have been reinstated," said Chipanga. "I do not have the statistics of how many per each province, but I know that those who had been retrenched have been reinstated."

Some of the ward youths officers who were retrenched in Manicaland have started improving their CVs by enrolling at tertiary in- stitutions.

Provincial youth development officer for Manicaland Mrs Theresa Mupanduki confirmed the development yesterday, but could not give the actual number of youth officers who were affected by the retrenchment exercise.

Mrs Mupanduki said the reinstatement of the ward youth officers gave them confidence to revitalise some projects which were left unmanned following their retrenchment.

"When the youth officers were retrenched, we were left in a quandary on how to co-ordinate programmes they were handling at grassroots levels," she said. "We were feeling that gap because some projects were left unmanned."

Mrs Mupanduki described the ward youths officers as the "foot soldiers" who were spearheading various projects.

"They are in all wards and it makes them very critical to the ministry because in the absence of other resources such as

vehicles or fuel, these people will be on the ground," she said.

Mrs Mupanduki said some of the youths were now developing themselves academically.

"Some of them have enrolled at institutions such as Domboshava, Great Zimbabwe University and ZOU," she said. "Quite a

number are trying to professionalise themselves which is very important.

"Some of them have since enrolled with vocational training centres where they are getting skills."

Mrs Mupanduki said some of the youths were volunteering their labour in areas that needed development.

"Some of them were volunteering their labour and also helping with technical skills in their respective areas," she said. "I remember when the First Lady, Dr Amai Mugabe visited Manicaland where she officially opened a girls dormitory at Hande High School in Buhera, she was told that the youth officers helped with labour in the construction work.

"So you see how important they are."