Bulawayo youths urged to take up leadership positions
Mabel Khumalo
Bulawayo Deputy Mayor, Councillor Mlandu Ncube has called upon local youths to take up leadership positions and be involved in community initiatives to determine their future and have their voices heard.
Speaking at the Youth Economic Empowerment Policies and Opportunities Dialogue meeting hosted by Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Association (BVTA) and Plan International at Bulawayo Club on Wednesday, Clr Mlandu Ncube said youths should determine their own destiny in society by taking part in politics and community initiatives.
The dialogue meeting on Youth Economic Empowerment Policies and Opportunities gave Bulawayo youths a chance to interact with authorities from the Bulawayo City Council (BCC), Ministry of Small and medium Enterprises and the Ministry of Youth, Sports, Arts and Recreation. The session was meant to map the way forward in devising strategies to upgrade youth livelihoods.
According to Clr Ncube, the Youth Model Policy presented by BVTA was well received by the Council but is however yet to be implemented as the Council has not yet received feedback from its stakeholders which include the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Youth.
”The reason we are still talking about a Youth Policy in 2023 in a country that gained its independence 40 years ago is because from the 80s young people have entrusted older generations with dealing with youth affairs. It is time for young people to stand up and participate so that we can have a better future,” he said.
He added that young people should set the bar high for themselves and eye for influential positions in society like contesting for political office, taking part in local resident meetings, and volunteering to increase youth representation.
”If young people do not get active in their communities’ older generations will make decisions for them and introduce initiatives that are of no benefit to the youth. For example, at a certain ward an older Councillor brought forward a grievance from her ward saying they needed funds to buy pots and cutlery to be used for the local burial club. However, the area had no functioning library and the youth centre had no computers and WIFI.”
“Youth empowerment politically and economically allows young people to gain control and utilisation of our country’s resources and it propels them to a new position of independence.”
A representative from the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, Siphiwe Moyo asserted that young people remain largely sidelined in decision making.
”There is only 2% youth representation in parliament…If you are not in the decision-making platforms, it is difficult for your voices to be heard. Youths should fully partake in citizenship duties and these include voting, decision making. As youths it’s your responsibility to attend gatherings like council meetings, budget consultations, and also engage in peer-to-peer education to promote development.”
”The coming in of this youth policy has given us a tool as youth representatives to speak. The youth policy proposal talks about how a young person can be assisted from being an illegal vendor, informal trader, and an SME and to an accomplished business person,” she said.
Bulawayo City Council Senior Administration Assistant, Town Planning Department Stella Pedzi highlighted that the department acknowledges informal trading as a form of economic empowerment and as a result, they have put in place an informal sector policy which accommodates youths and seeks to empower them economically.
”As the town planning department, we have an informal sector policy which allows us to empower our local youths. We provide spaces for businesses, urban farming and it is up to you as the youths to grab these opportunities. Currently we are constructing a wholesale market at Nkulumane Complex, and we expect youths to be part of the project and utilise this resource.”
”I urge you to consider agriculture as a viable form of economic empowerment. To all those partaking in informal business feel free to approach the department for solutions on how to formalise your businesses.
We also consider child headed families and disadvantaged households, our informal trading policy has the people of Bulawayo at heart,” she said.
The Managing Director for Youth for Innovation Trust Thando Gwinji said youths should utilise technology to scale up their businesses.
”We need investment in such technologies like advertising platforms around the city to promote our works as young traders.”
BVA is part of the Safe and Inclusive Cities Project (SAIC 2.0) which is being implemented by Plan International Zimbabwe. In Bulawayo the project targets the high density suburbs of Pumula and Makokoba. The main objective of the program is to offer young men and women aged (15 to 24) a chance to thrive in safe and resilient urban communities that respects human rights and offer equal opportunities for all irregardless of gender.
