STAFF WRITER
Zanu PF and MDC legislators are pushing for a constitutional amendment to have more representation of youthful lawmakers in Parliament, it has been learnt.
Official figures show that Zimbabwe is a youthful population with over 50% of the demography classified as youth.
The call was made by Felix Mhona, Zanu PF member of the National Assembly for Chikomba Central and Chairman of the parliamentary portfolio committee on Budget, Finance and Economic Development committee during a parliamentary workshop for MPs and the youths interactive and training programme hosted by Restless Development a nongovernmental organisations that works with youths in the country.
“The youths must participate in the political programmes in the country and join political parties of their choice.
In my party, youths are welcomed to join as we have a youth wing,”Mhona said.
“In the history of our country the youths played a major role in the independence of this country as the majority of the freedom fighters were youths aged between 18-25 years led by the older leaders like the late President Robert Mugabe and Vice President Joshua Nkomo and managed to liberate the country.”
Mhona added: “This is what we expect the new generation of youth to do and participate in politics but not go in the streets and demonstrate violently to remove a constitutionally-elected government.
The youths must support President Emmerson Mnangagwa proposal to allocate 10 parliamentary seats to the youths as Zanu PF supports the proposal.”
Mhona confirmed that the motion to introduce the youth quota would be debated in the House soon and would likely be adopted and passed by Parliament since it was a progressive constitutional amendment to support the youths’ political advancement.
“This motion will be supported by all Zanu PF members.
We have discussed it as a party and we hope that the MDC MPs will also support it in advancing youth political empowerment in the country,” Mhona said.
Godfrey Sithole, MDC MP for Chitungwiza North said his party supported the participation of youths in politics and will support the quota.
“I became an MP in 2013, aged 23 years and I want to see many youths participating in politics and get empowered.
There is going to be a Bill coming up in Parliament as an amendment to have more parliamentary seats allocated to the youths.
Lets all support the Bill across political divide and have our youths empowered,” Sithole said.
In the current Parliament youthful MPs in Zanu PF include Yeukai Simbanegavi (Gutu North), and deputy minister of National Housing and Social Amenities Tongai Mnangagwa (Harare South), John Paradza (Gutu West), Edmore Samambwe (Zhombe), Munyaradzi Kashambe (Seke), Tinoda Macharika (Wedza North) deputy minister of Youth,Sports,Arts and Recreation, Tatenda Mavetera (Mashonald East province), Mathias Tongofa (Chivi North) and Chairman of the Parliamentary Portofolio Committee on Youth, Sports and Recreation, Justice Mayor Wadyajena (GokweNembudziya) and Chairman of Lands and Agriculture Committee and Tafanana Zhou (Mberengwa North).
In MDC the youthful MPs includes Joana Mamombe for (Harare West), James Chidhakwa (Mabvuku- Tafara), Starman Chamisa (Mbare), Godfrey Sithole (Chitungwiza North) and Vincent Tsvangirai (Glen-View South).
The MPs are members of Parliament’s youth caucus. Political Analyst and University of Zimbabwe lecturer, Lawrence Mhandara, said the empowerment of the youths was a good policy and should have been implemented long back as it was long overdue.
“We have good and sound policies but the problem we have is implementation and considering that the youths constitute the majority of the population this is a recommended policy,” Mhandara said.
“But we have challenges in our political system in the participation of youths in politics because in most cases are coming in as proxies of some big political players using them.”
Another political analyst and University of Zimbabwe lecturer, Eldred Masunungure, said that most of the youths were not keen to participate in politics and hence the need to create special allocations to them.
“Most of our youths are not participating in politics. We are seeing them in the streets working as money changers and the few of them that have decided to join politics have not climbed up the political ladder,” said Masunungure.
“Zanu PF and MDC have decided to attract young people in politics by offering them Parliamentary seats which is a good idea considering that majority of the population are youths.”
He added: “The token creation of 10 youth quota seats in Parliament inadvertently displays the skewed demographic representation in Parliament in a country in which youth constitute the majority of the adult population.
Real transformation is achieved when more women and youth access the top echelons of power through efforts made by the executive to ensure level field for women and youth is tilted in their favour.”
Zanu PF has proposed to amend the party’s constitution with the view to increase youth representation within the structures of the party.
Zanu PF wants to maintain the 10- year quota for women representation in the National Assembly
