Mixed feelings on youth quota

Calvin Manika

Amos Phiri, (23), read the news of youth participation in parliament with excitement. Phiri believes that because Parliament is a national institution, the youths would draw attention to important issues impacting young people such as unemployment.

“Youth politicians must embrace this positive change, take on leadership positions in their communities, and speak up for their brothers and sisters. We have let the elderly  discuss our issues for too long, and youths in parliament should take over,” Phiri said.

For the first time since Zimbabwe’s independence, young people can participate in the drafting of laws thanks to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill’s inclusion of a youth quota for Members of Parliament in the House of Assembly.

Joanna Mamombe, a representative for Harare West who was elected as an MP in 2018 at the age of 24, is the youngest individual to hold the office of Member of Parliament (MP) in Zimbabwe.

In this year’s election, young people are set  to have a huge impact on the electoral scene.

The ten young National Assembly members mentioned in section 124(1)(c) of the Constitution will be elected in this year’s historic election.

Walter Chitsa, a political analyst, told this publication that since the elected youths’ primary allegience is to their political godfathers there would not be much of a shift in how issues are presented.

“The youth quota is ridiculous because these young people are representatives of a political party, they will be there to defend the views and programs of their parties. Everything else is secondary, whether they are from ZANU-PF or the CCC,  they must conform to their party,” argued Chitsa.

In Zimbabwe, the majority of political parties have youth leagues, which are structures for young people. These established youth leagues, which have a history of supporting the party presidency, are likely to be used to fill the youth quota.

“These young people already have access to the party leadership, but they have not used it to address some of the important problems that young people are currently dealing with.  Their election to parliament would merely serve as a token of appreciation for their loyalty and a gentle reminder to ring the bell,” added Chitsa.

Zimbabwe is currently suffering from a high rate of unemployment and rising drug abuse. Unemployment has been cited as a big reason for youth turning to drugs.

Data from the International Labour Organization and the World Bank, shows that Zimbabwe’s unemployment rate was 7.8 as of December 2022, according to the ILO Modelled Estimates and Projections database (ILOSTAT), as at April 25, 2023. However, other data indicate that there are 2,3 million young people without jobs. 

The government has repeatedly asserted that unemployment is under control, but the most recent numbers from the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstat) paint a grim picture of the nation’s jobless rates.

According to certain pro-democracy campaigners and opposition political parties, youths have the power to register to vote and alter the political and economic future of the nation. However, the majority of them suffer from voter apathy, as discovered in a survey conducted by Afrobarometer last year.

According to Zimstat, the 2.3 million persons make up over half of all young people aged 15 to 34.

The post-Mugabe regime has pushed young people toward careers in mining, but young artisanal miners have become embroiled in violent turf wars and some have lost their lives as a result.

As the nation prepares for the 2023 elections, a number of civic society organizations have been promoting the idea that young people who are eligible to register to vote should participate actively in the registration process.

More young people are willing to have their votes counted as a result of lobbying work done by the Election Resource Centre (ERC). Young people in schools, colleges, and universities have been the focus of community outreach activities conducted by the ERC and other organizations.

A local CSO, the Community Youth Development Trust (CYDT), claimed in a statement that this was in line with their demands as stated in the Constitution.

“The decision to take up the Bill is in sync with the basis of CYDT’s petition, which called on the government to protect the constitutionally granted right for the youths to be fairly represented at all levels of governance, from the district to national level platforms, and ensure that youth empowerment comes with a legislative framework,” said CYDT in a statement.

Additionally, this development makes sure that all decision processes mainstream youth voices. Youth-needs-unmet policies and strategies have been developed in recent years as a response of young people’s absence from governance and policymaking processes.

CYDT petitioned Parliament in 2021 in protest of the absence of youth representation at all levels, from the district to the federal level.

The new voting bloc already has high hopes for the incoming administration.

“We require improvements to the infrastructure, medical facilities, and educational systems,” said Phiri.