News / National
Tobaiwa Mudede urges all ladies to give birth
11 Aug 2013 at 03:01hrs | Views
ZIMBABWE'S Registrar General Tobaiwa Mudede said he is seriously concerned with the nation's low population and plans to hold a meeting with all ladies to urge them to give birth.
Mudede was addressing a press conference on election rigging last Friday when he was asked a question on women participation in elections. He diverted from the question and gave the country's census results of 2012 which show that Zimbabwe has an estimated 13 million people. He said the census figures were too little for a country like Zimbabwe.
"This is not a good number for a country like ours. Our total population is 13 million when the United Kingdom has 62 million but it is only two thirds of this country. We will talk more because I will ask for a meeting with ladies. The young girls here need to conceive more children; this is not a good population. It is a very serious situation," he said.
Mudede said the population of those below the age of majority is 50.8 percent.
"The youth population used to be much higher than that, I think it has gone down because a lot of our youngsters are dying. That is dangerous because there is going to be a gap which will affect industries, the main sectors will be affected because of that aspect ratio of 50.8 percent below the age of majority. Now that you have decided not to have children that's another story. I want to address you women about this issue of not giving us babies," said the Registrar-General.
Mudede has echoed the same sentiments with President Robert Mugabe who said women must have more babies as he launched the nation's 2012 population census.
Mixing vernacular and English, Mugabe said at that time, "We want more children. Give us more children you women. Muri kurambirei mimba? Makapihwirwei matumbu? Aiwa aiwa musanyime.
(Why are you refusing to get pregnant? Why were you given bellies? No, no, don't refuse)," Mugabe said while launching the census.
He added: "The census results of 2002 were a disappointment to me, the numbers were down, miserably down. And they have not increased very much."
According to the 2002 count, Zimbabwe's population was 11.6 million, up 1.2 million from a decade earlier. Mudede said the 2012 census was 13 million.
But the growth rate slowed as Aids spread across the region. After peaking at 3.98 percent in 1983, the annual population growth rate began a steady slide, bottoming out in 2007, when the population is thought to have shrunk by 0.38 percent, according to World Bank data.
Though about 13 percent of the population is HIV positive, Zimbabwe has emerged triumphant, with HIV infections going down by 50 percent between 1997 and 2007, a study last year found.
Estimates suggest that about three million people have deserted Zimbabwe to other countries fleeing political and economic challenges.
Mudede was addressing a press conference on election rigging last Friday when he was asked a question on women participation in elections. He diverted from the question and gave the country's census results of 2012 which show that Zimbabwe has an estimated 13 million people. He said the census figures were too little for a country like Zimbabwe.
"This is not a good number for a country like ours. Our total population is 13 million when the United Kingdom has 62 million but it is only two thirds of this country. We will talk more because I will ask for a meeting with ladies. The young girls here need to conceive more children; this is not a good population. It is a very serious situation," he said.
Mudede said the population of those below the age of majority is 50.8 percent.
"The youth population used to be much higher than that, I think it has gone down because a lot of our youngsters are dying. That is dangerous because there is going to be a gap which will affect industries, the main sectors will be affected because of that aspect ratio of 50.8 percent below the age of majority. Now that you have decided not to have children that's another story. I want to address you women about this issue of not giving us babies," said the Registrar-General.
Mudede has echoed the same sentiments with President Robert Mugabe who said women must have more babies as he launched the nation's 2012 population census.
(Why are you refusing to get pregnant? Why were you given bellies? No, no, don't refuse)," Mugabe said while launching the census.
He added: "The census results of 2002 were a disappointment to me, the numbers were down, miserably down. And they have not increased very much."
According to the 2002 count, Zimbabwe's population was 11.6 million, up 1.2 million from a decade earlier. Mudede said the 2012 census was 13 million.
But the growth rate slowed as Aids spread across the region. After peaking at 3.98 percent in 1983, the annual population growth rate began a steady slide, bottoming out in 2007, when the population is thought to have shrunk by 0.38 percent, according to World Bank data.
Though about 13 percent of the population is HIV positive, Zimbabwe has emerged triumphant, with HIV infections going down by 50 percent between 1997 and 2007, a study last year found.
Estimates suggest that about three million people have deserted Zimbabwe to other countries fleeing political and economic challenges.
Source - online
