Opinion / Columnist
'Bigger force behind misguided youths'
05 Mar 2016 at 08:06hrs | Views
A BIGGER force is behind the baiting of some Zanu-PF youth members to destabilise the party and those being used will be uprooted from the party, says the national secretary for youth affairs, Pupurai Togarepi.
Addressing thousands of people drawn from the length and breadth of Zimbabwe to celebrate President Mugabe's 92nd birthday at Great Zimbabwe in Masvingo last Saturday, Togarepi, said fights among the youth, abuse of social media and insults targeted at the leadership were now rampant.
"In my view, the majority of these conflicts bedevilling some members of the youth league is exogenously funded.
"The social media is a new development that can be harnessed positively for communication purposes, but at the moment it has been used to spread venom and disharmony in the party.
"I suspect that there is a bigger force baiting some of our gullible members of the party to these platforms as a weapon to destabilise the party and our great revolution.
"The million dollar question is: is it as straightforward as we see it, juvenile delinquency or it is more sophisticated? Who is behind this?
"Is our best State machinery failing to uncover the plot? While I ponder like others, I do not doubt the target of these machinations, the target is our revolution and heroic legacy of our people," he said.
Togarepi said all members who insults leaders and abuse the social media should be dismissed from their positions.
"As for the gullible youths who are used as fronts and those hangers-on, please allow me President to uproot them now before they become dangerous to your legacy and our revolution.
"You told me President to keep them busy, but there are among them incorrigible characters who must go and go now.
"Any members of the youth league who insults leaders and abuse the social media at whatever level I request your permission to dismiss them instantly from their positions.
"We intend to setup a committee this following week to look at the alleged abuses and deal with the perpetrators accordingly," said Togarepi.
In response, President Mugabe said he would accord the youth all the support they need.
"Party yanga yakuda kurasika. Saka if the youth is lost we are lost, even if the women are lost, we are lost.
"So the wings need to be strong and there should be unity. This issue of insulting each other, we say down with it.
"We should be united. What has gone wrong? The people showed that they are rallying behind us in 2013," said President Mugabe.
He also urged youths to have a harmonious working relationship with war veterans.
"I am sure the youth want to work together with the war veterans and find one direction.
"We want principles and discipline on both sides, the youth and war veterans.
"Hapana zvekuti ndisu chete, aiwa zvenyu zvekuti ndisu chete hatidi. The war was fought for us all so now together we must find our way to the problems that we face together, but you (youths) have a lot to learn from the war veterans because they are experienced.
"Vava vakuru, vakarwa hondo, but I don't want them to be bullied, izvo kwete," said President Mugabe.
On empowerment programmes, the youths have intensified their efforts to address unemployment among their rank and file by patterning with the Agricultural Rural Development Authority to run crop and horticulture activities at the latter's estates.
Togarepi said as a result of unemployment and under-employment, life was proving to be an uphill struggle for the youths.
"Unemployment is the biggest challenge affecting the lives of the young generations as a result of multi-faceted causes, chief among them being illegal sanctions imposed upon our nation by our enemies from the west and corruption among ourselves.
"The youth is the energetic working age group and are the ones with the future that needs to be built today.
"But as a result of unemployment and under-employment, life has become so difficult for them and political charlatans are taking advantage to use money to lure our youths into engaging into divisive behaviours and pursuing selfish interests affecting the party today," he said.
Togarepi added: "We have put in place programmes to promote youth empowerment and enhanced productivity among them partnership with ARDA to run crop and horticulture activities at every ARDA scheme across the country. Groups are being identified.
"We are embarking on housing projects for the youths in all local authorities and financial partnership is already in place.
"We also have capacity building programmes through specialised training- Central Association of Co-operative Union."
Addressing thousands of people drawn from the length and breadth of Zimbabwe to celebrate President Mugabe's 92nd birthday at Great Zimbabwe in Masvingo last Saturday, Togarepi, said fights among the youth, abuse of social media and insults targeted at the leadership were now rampant.
"In my view, the majority of these conflicts bedevilling some members of the youth league is exogenously funded.
"The social media is a new development that can be harnessed positively for communication purposes, but at the moment it has been used to spread venom and disharmony in the party.
"I suspect that there is a bigger force baiting some of our gullible members of the party to these platforms as a weapon to destabilise the party and our great revolution.
"The million dollar question is: is it as straightforward as we see it, juvenile delinquency or it is more sophisticated? Who is behind this?
"Is our best State machinery failing to uncover the plot? While I ponder like others, I do not doubt the target of these machinations, the target is our revolution and heroic legacy of our people," he said.
Togarepi said all members who insults leaders and abuse the social media should be dismissed from their positions.
"As for the gullible youths who are used as fronts and those hangers-on, please allow me President to uproot them now before they become dangerous to your legacy and our revolution.
"You told me President to keep them busy, but there are among them incorrigible characters who must go and go now.
"Any members of the youth league who insults leaders and abuse the social media at whatever level I request your permission to dismiss them instantly from their positions.
"We intend to setup a committee this following week to look at the alleged abuses and deal with the perpetrators accordingly," said Togarepi.
In response, President Mugabe said he would accord the youth all the support they need.
"Party yanga yakuda kurasika. Saka if the youth is lost we are lost, even if the women are lost, we are lost.
"We should be united. What has gone wrong? The people showed that they are rallying behind us in 2013," said President Mugabe.
He also urged youths to have a harmonious working relationship with war veterans.
"I am sure the youth want to work together with the war veterans and find one direction.
"We want principles and discipline on both sides, the youth and war veterans.
"Hapana zvekuti ndisu chete, aiwa zvenyu zvekuti ndisu chete hatidi. The war was fought for us all so now together we must find our way to the problems that we face together, but you (youths) have a lot to learn from the war veterans because they are experienced.
"Vava vakuru, vakarwa hondo, but I don't want them to be bullied, izvo kwete," said President Mugabe.
On empowerment programmes, the youths have intensified their efforts to address unemployment among their rank and file by patterning with the Agricultural Rural Development Authority to run crop and horticulture activities at the latter's estates.
Togarepi said as a result of unemployment and under-employment, life was proving to be an uphill struggle for the youths.
"Unemployment is the biggest challenge affecting the lives of the young generations as a result of multi-faceted causes, chief among them being illegal sanctions imposed upon our nation by our enemies from the west and corruption among ourselves.
"The youth is the energetic working age group and are the ones with the future that needs to be built today.
"But as a result of unemployment and under-employment, life has become so difficult for them and political charlatans are taking advantage to use money to lure our youths into engaging into divisive behaviours and pursuing selfish interests affecting the party today," he said.
Togarepi added: "We have put in place programmes to promote youth empowerment and enhanced productivity among them partnership with ARDA to run crop and horticulture activities at every ARDA scheme across the country. Groups are being identified.
"We are embarking on housing projects for the youths in all local authorities and financial partnership is already in place.
"We also have capacity building programmes through specialised training- Central Association of Co-operative Union."
Source - manicapost
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