Vic falls youths clamour for youth centre

Ratidzai Matumbura

VICTORIA FALLS – Young people in Victoria Falls are entreating the  City Council to establish a youth centre that could help youths engage  in meaningful activities and acquire life skills and therefore shun antisocial behaviours.

 Proponents of the youth centre contend that it would go a long way in curtailing bad habits and antisocial behaviour that have sadly pervaded the youth population in the resort city due to alleged idleness.

Despite the city raking in a lot of money due to its status as Zimbabwe’s tourism hub over the years, underdevelopment is still rampant in the city. A conspicuous lack of social amenities such as a youth centre is testament to the deprivation of inhabitants of the city, notwithstanding the city proudly taking its place as one of the seven wonders of the world. Remarkably , due to underdevelopment, something as normal as a youth centre is somewhat an illusion.

The case for a youth centre emerged in conversations between Community Podium and the city’s young people that were predicated  on underdevelopment and how it is impacting young people in the city. 

Julius Mathe, a youth, stressed the need for a youth centre. He said such a centre could contribute  immensely towards equipping youths with vital life skills that are pivotal to income generation. He also reasoned that when youths become productive and earn their living, they are bound to become more responsible citizens. Thus, social ills like prostitution, stealing and drug abuse which have become ubiquitous, would be a thing of the past.

“We need a youth centre so as to gain life skills and be independent. This would be beneficial to us because we could come up with sources of income and be financially independent,” he said.

Another youth, Linford Ndebele, invoked the ‘an idle mind is the devil’s workshop’ adage as he explained that lack of occupation among the youths is driving  and feeding their antisocial behaviour.

The prodigy further argued that the youths have taken to drugs and other anti social behaviors because their minds are not focused on positive things that could help their development and transition into adulthood.

“A youth centre will be of great help to us as youths because most of us have morphed into drug abusers due to chronic idleness,” said Linford.

Concurring with Ndebele was Nolwazi Nyathi, who emphasized that  most of the young people’s challenges and problems could easily be overcome by building a space for youths to afford them opportunities to express their untapped talents which may take the form of art, sporting disciplines and/or intellectual activities. 

“The absence of such a facility has culminated in teenage pregnancies and early marriages. A centre boasting  a variety of facilities for activities and learning potentially plays a huge role in improving the lives and livelihoods of young boys and girls as well as inspiring them to be a better version of themselves,” she said.

Njabulo Sibanda, a parent also warmed up to the idea of a youth centre as he bemoaned the wayward behaviour of young people in the city.

“Our children are indulging in drugs and substance abuse…moreover, teenage pregnancies, early marriages, prostitution and theft are now so rife in our city. This hurts us badly as parents and a solution to this conundrum must be found. Building a youth centre would be a giant step towards rehabilitating our youths and eradicating delinquency,” said Sibanda.

 However, the Mayor of Victoria Falls, Somveli Dhlamini, while acknowledging the nobility of the youth centre idea, was quick to express his reservations on the feasibility of the idea, based on the scarcity of land and the cost attached to such a huge development.

“I am sure you are aware that Victoria Falls is a small city that is limited in terms of land. As such, infrastructure that is needed for a state-of-the-art youth centre is not readily available,” said the mayor.

In mitigation, the mayor said the City Council is currently working on projects that can accommodate young people.

“Council is currently working on upgrading Chinotimba Stadium into a multi-purpose sports facility which will cater for youths. There are also plans for Lupane State University to establish a compass in the city. Land has been earmarked for that. We also have Solusi University which is already in town. We have players like Dadani Vocational College that have huge potential for technical courses.” he said.

Even so, Collins Dube, a resident and social commentator said while the city has improved in terms of educational facilities that are sprouting all over, “the elephant in the room is the expensive fees that are beyond the reach of some parents, causing a considerable number of young people to drop out school.”