“Zimbabwe not ready for elections” -Lupane youths.

Youths in Manganganga area of Lupane have said that they are content with the current Inclusive government as a means of bringing stability to Zimbabwe whilst laying the ground work for a credible election. They said the Inclusive government has brought some semblance of peace and harmony to their community as opposed to the violent occurrences that characterised the reign of the previous government but a number of issues need to be addressed before any election can be declared.

The youths said since the inception of the Inclusive government that saw ZANU PF and the two MDCs sharing power, there has been a drastic decline in the number cases of politically motivated violence. They however noted with concern the statements being shared in the media about the possibility of an election this year.

“We do not want to hear anything about an election because to us elections mean death, torture and gross human rights violations amongst other things. Since the inclusive government was formed we are enjoying a semblance of peace which we did not enjoy when ZANU PF was single handedly in charge of government,” articulated one of the youths.

Another young person added that there are a lot of issues that are still pending in the inclusive government and as such there is no reason why anyone should rush for elections.

“Governors that were appointed a long time ago still have not assumed office and we are also still in the process of finalising a new constitution so there is no reason why we should be talking about elections right now. Instead, the principals (of the Inclusive Government) should be talking about finalising all the issues that will make sure that the next elections are free, fair and violence free,” he said.

The youths echoed these sentiments at a youth meeting convened by the National Youth Development Trust (NYDT) in Lupane. The youth meeting was done to gather the views of young people on the pending elections and assess whether they were ready for an election or not. The NYDT uses such platforms not only to gather the views of young people on various topical issues but to share information on current affairs with youths in the remote areas.