Rowdy teenagers mayhem in Bulawayo

THE Bulawayo city centre was last Saturday evening turned into a theatre of war as anti-riot police were involved in fierce running battles with heavily intoxicated teenagers who were all over town causing havoc confronting and attacking passersby and motorists.

Although there were no immediate reports of serious injuries and arrests, the rowdy teenagers who were totally wasted on alcohol brought business to a screeching halt in the city centre as anti-riot police struggled to control them.

Skirmishes erupted after police pounced on some heavily drunk youths who were on their way from the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) after they started throwing empty beer bottles and cans at windows of some city buildings and passing traffic.

The real drama ensued at the Bulawayo Centre where police raided one of the night spots where the teenagers were drinking beer.

When a B-Metro news screw arrived at the scene, commotion reigned supreme at the night spot with teenagers running in all directions trying to hide from the charging police officers. Some were screaming and yelling obscenities at police details.

Outside the club empty beer tins, vodka and cider bottles and boxes of condoms were strewn all over the floor, an indication that the teenagers were up to no good.

Some girls who were visibly drunk with their trousers unzipped were struggling to walk and were being carried away by their male friends.

After being raided the teenagers, however, responded by randomly hurling stones at passersby and motorists thereby igniting running battles with the police that spilled to Basch Street  Terminus popularly known as Egodini.

In the ensuing melee some teenagers were hurling obscenities with reckless abandon while others were publicly peeing, twerking and dancing in sexually suggestive ways.

Some of the girls who were also visibly intoxicated created a scene when they dropped their pants in the middle of the road and started peeing before bending forward with their backs in the air.

They did it to the delight and cheers of some boys who were shouting encouragement.

During the booze-filled mayhem a young girl no older than 15 was also seen carrying out a sex act on her "boyfriend" with some of her friends enthusiastically kissing each other.

The disturbing encounter lasted more than two hours as the roaming teens were going up and down the streets.

The hate-filled youths were also verbally abusing passersby, some who were however, brave enough to ask them to move on.

Women with babies on their backs were also caught in the cross fire forcing them to run for cover at nearby shops.

One shocked passerby was heard shouting, "If these are Bulawayo adults of the future then there isn't much for Bulawayo".

One parent who asked to be identified as Mrs Ncube from New Luveve suburb described the rowdy behaviour by the teenagers as "absolutely soul-destroying".

"This rowdy behaviour has become a game to these youths every year especially on the last day of the ZITF. I don't think their parents are aware of what is happening. I just feel pity for the girls as the boys would take advantage of their drunkenness and sexually abuse them. It's really disturbing especially for me as a parent," she said.

Meanwhile, the skirmishes came at a time when police are on a clampdown of vuzu parties being hosted by school going children in Bulawayo where they would be allegedly engaging in group sex while abusing drugs.

According to online studies rowdy behaviour in teenagers is pretty common. The studies say disrespect is a normal part of teenage growth and development as they would be learning to express and test out their own independent ideas and developing independence which is a key part of growing up.