PYD Press statement on the Day of the African Child Commemorations 2011

Platform for Youth Development Trust (PYD) joins the rest of Africa in commemorating the Day of the African Child. This year’s commemorations under the theme ALL TOGETHER FOR URGENT ACTIONS IN FAVOUR OF STREET CHILDREN is a call for action. PYD notes the importance of this day in the history of the continent and will be commemorating it in style at Checheche Primary School in Chipinge on the 22^nd of June 2011.This is the third successive commemoration by the organization since 2009.

 The Day of the African Child has its origins on June 16 1976 when black school children in Soweto, Johannesburg, took to the streets to protest against the imposition of Afrikaans as the language of instruction, and against the inferior quality of their education. On that day, the apartheid South African regime unleashed the police and state apparatus that fired teargas and live ammunition killing hundreds and injuring thousands in the process. The Organization of African Unity (OAU), a continental body, earmarked the day to honor those who died as well as to draw attention to the welfare of African Children.

As we commemorate the 21^st edition of the Day of the African Child, we are challenged to look into the plight of street children who are experiencing all sorts of difficulties ranging from lack of food, proper shelter, education and primary health facilities. The commemorations is a call to all individuals, organizations and African governments to come together, join hands and take lasting action in resolving the issue of street children. 

The onus is on us Africans to come up with strategies and measures to alleviate the challenges faced by children resulting in them opting out of homes to the streets. As PYD we believe African governments are failing in their mandate to afford education to every child. Reports of massive school dropouts continue to make headlines in the media without government action. We call upon the government of Zimbabwe to dump western elitist ideologies and policies to ensure that the masses of Zimbabwe are beneficiaries to their policies. We also wish to challenge the government of Zimbabwe to take urgent action and see to it that children rights are top on the agenda list.

Millennium Development goals compel governments to work towards certain set goals including education. Education for all by 2015 is one of key goals set on the MDGs, four years left and we are still driving in the reverse gear. Government is mum when some schools are charging exorbitant fees and levies, examination fees is preventing thousands of students from writing examinations. 

As we commemorate the day of the African Child, PYD encourages state and civic society actors to work together in improving the conditions of the young people. If stakeholders work together and respect their different roles, then community development will be attained. The commemoration is once again an opportunity to remind the Government of National Unity to take the welfare of young people practically and seriously. 

PYD therefore raises the following issues that demand urgent action from the government of Zimbabwe;

• ·         Young people remains desperate and highly unemployed

• ·          Young people are denied access to loans due to the repressive requirements such as collateral security.

• ·         Young people in schools, colleges and universities cannot afford to pay their tuition,

• ·          Young people remains the most affected and vulnerable group to the deadly HIV/AIDS

• ·         Young people remains a minority in political offices, even by appointment

• ·          Young people continue to be used as agents not actors and factors in development issues in Zimbabwe.

Inserted by the Information and Communications Department

For more Information contact

Claris Madhuku-Director   

Email:platformtrust@gmail.com

Blog: http://platformtrust.blogspot.com

Physical address P. Bag 5004 Checheche, Chipinge

+263 773 010 331, +263 773 011 599

Human rights defenders workshop in Chipinge

PYD together with Zimbabwe Elections Support Network organised a human rights defenders workshop in Chipinge. the workshop attended by more than 30 youths drawn from Chipinge district was a rare opportunity for the youths in the district to learn on best methods to safeguard their rights to participation in political processes without fear of intimidation and harrasment.

PYD Press Statement on the International Youth Day-12 August

“All who have meditated on the art of governing mankind have been convinced that the fate of empires depends on the education of youth” Anonymous.

Platform for Youth Development Trust (PYD) joins the whole world in commemorating the International Youth Day. This year’s (2010) commemorations are being held under the theme Dialogue and Mutual Understanding. It is important to note that the commemoration of this day must be a moment of stock-taking and reflection from all the sectors of the society. This is an opportunity for the international community and the UN system to demonstrate their commitment to the young people. PYD challenges that the International Youth Day must be for nation building, one that raises human rights awareness while show-casing the power, strengths and energies of the youth. This year’s celebration coincides with two very historic events in the life of Zimbabweans, namely the Constitutional Making process and the National Healing program.

Platform for Youth Development Trust (PYD) fully subscribes to the philososophy of youth empowerment through mainstreaming-a process for meaningful engagement and broad interrogation of young people into structures and activities of social development on a daily basis. Dialogue and mutual understanding requires consistent, committed youth-adult co-operation at every level, where the young people are recognized as equal and valuable partners. Mainstreaming as an approach, aims to support young people to fulfill their roles effectively in their societies. 

As an organization, we are very much concerned and worried that the ongoing constitutional reform process still leaves a lot to be desired, in that the youth having been under represented ,are worse still not being effectively consulted. Party positions have already been imposed on all major issues of constitutional debate, leaving the young people exposed to either challenging their political leadership or succumbing to these well circulated narrow positions. This God –given opportunity for the youth to shape their destiny is fast becoming a painful nightmare.PYD therefore challenges the COPAC team to stand strong against politicians and ensure that the people are genuinely allowed to freely express themselves. Participation of the young people in the first phase of the constitutional process has been critical and leaves a lot to be desired, therefore needs to be improved.

On another hand, the National Healing program remains a contestation of political party players instead of genuinely addressing its objectives as spelt out in the Global Political Agreement (GPA). While the principals to the political agreement have made public statements against violence, the youth have been completely left out in the cold. The national healing will remain a farce unless and until the youth who were victims and perpetrators are involved at every stage of this important assignment of the nation. Fresh cases of political violence and rivalry in the rural areas are continuing unabated.

Platform for Youth Development Trust (PYD) believes that national youth development must be the sole responsibility of the government. It is in light of this strong conviction that we therefore urge the government of the day (GNU), through the youth portfolio, to be more practical in the youth planning, public policy and youth programming. Youth issues should be mainstreamed across various sectors and line ministries such as health, finance, economic development, housing, justice, foreign affairs and Agriculture.

As an organization, our youth empowerment programming is informed by a two-pronged strategy. While we believe in youth participation through sustained dialogue, we are also sensitive to the need for gender mainstreaming. In any planned action, including legislation, policies or programmes it should always be important to assess the implications for women and men. PYD’s strategy is to make young women as well as young men’s concerns and experiences become an integral dimension of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes in all political, economic and societal sphere .Yong women and young men must benefit equally so that the inequality historically suffered by women, is not perpetrated.

Cognizant that youths in the rural areas represent a disadvantaged and marginalized social group, and taking note that the youths forms the majority of the global poor ,the vulnerable and the unemployed, PYD is therefore pro-poor and pro-youth in its programming.

PYD therefore recommends that

• ·         The Government of National Unity considers the adoption of the YET Advocacy Resource Pack    on the National Youth Policy and Youth Development

• ·         The constitutional reform process and the National Healing program revisits their implementation criterion, with the view of increasing participation of the youth

• ·         The GNU works closely with the existing youth organizations, especially those in the rural areas, to popularize the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

 Platform for Youth Development Trust (PYD) is a non-partisan, non-discriminatory and grassroots based youth organization that was formed by victimized youth to act as a platform, network and bridge for the youth in all spheres of life to articulate issues affecting them particularly relating to development, democracy, good governance, peaceful co-existence, human rights and the rule of law in Zimbabwe. PYD therefore seeks to bring together marginalized youth in rural and urban areas, farms, growth points and resettlement areas, church-based youth organizations including youth organizations for young women with a view to empowering them and to ensure their meaningful participation in championing the cause of democracy, respect for the rule of law, peaceful co-existence and good governance.

Compiled by the PYD Information department.

For more Information contact the Director-Claris Madhuku on platformtrust@gmail.com,dhukela@yahoo.com

Cell: 0773 010 331, 0773 011 599,

PYD Press statement on the MDC Congress

Platform for Youth Development (PYD) wishes to applaud the good work by the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) in presiding over the Movement for Democratic Change elections at the just ended congress. NCA and MDC whose friendship date back to the late 90s when the NCA together with ZCTU and ZINASU formed the then opposition MDC has been once again shown to be genuine and real. We applaud the NCA for conducting elections in an open, free and fair manner. We treasure such unbiased and resolute character exuded by the NCA as a leading civil society organization in Zimbabwe and appeal to all other organizations to strive for such excellence. As a member organization to the NCA, we have a lot to learn from their leadership and conduct of duties which has always been of distinction.

We congratulate the MDC leadership voted into power at the just ended congress. We challenge them to be firm and strong and encourage them to keep the struggle for a democratic Zimbabwe burning. They should take lessons from their predecessors who selflessly fought with the then ruling Zanu PF and brought victory in the 2008 harmonized elections. Such vigor should be their guiding principle as they lead millions of Zimbabweans in the struggle for democracy.

As a youth organization, we also wish to congratulate the new MDC Youth Assembly leadership led by Comrade Solomon Madzore for winning the youth assembly elections. We wish them well in their journey and challenge them to strive to be democratic in the execution of their duties. The youths had always been known as the front line of any movement and the new leadership should take notes from the previous leadership and build it up from there. We have no doubts that the elected leadership will steer the revolution and definitely deliver the Zimbabwe that many young people had been cherishing for years. They should be exemplary in the conduct of their business and carry the flame in encouraging good morals in the youths in this age of the deadly HIV/AIDS.

We hope to work exceptionally well with the new youth leadership the same way we did with the previous one. We believe we have not reached our desired destination and thus call upon the new leadership to tie up their shoes and brace for a hard struggle until we deliver victory to the youth of Zimbabwe.

Inserted by PYD Information Department

Chisumbanje Ethanol plant fails the Indigenization test

It has been revealed at a House of Assembly Committee on Agriculture, Water, Lands and Resettlement that Chisumbanje Ethanol and Sugar plant need to comply with Zimbabwe’s indigenization laws.

The deliberations at the committee were a response to the open letter written by the residents of Chisumbanje to the government of Zimbabwe. The residents penned a petition to raise their concerns against the partnership entered by Agricultural and Rural Development Authority with Macdom Rating, Green Fuel Investments and Macdom Investments. In their petition the residents likened the agreement to recolonization since the community has not been involved and neither are they aware of the intentions and plans of the business interests of the project. The view of the community is that the agreement must be thoroughly investigated.

The deal which was brokered in 2008 is a contradiction to the government policy on land as well as the objectives of the indigenization laws. Platform for Youth Development (PYD) welcomes the call by the committee for the agreement at Chisumbanje to be reviewed and if found necessary, repealed.

Platform for Youth Development continues to be worried by the manner in which the partners continue to unashamedly bulldoze their way by forcing the residents to endorse this illegal and clandestine deal where residents are not fully briefed of the missing details. A case in point is a meeting done at Chisumbanje primary school on the 1^st of March 2011.Instead of taking the opportunity to plead with residents, the signatory to the agreement boosted that the community has no mandate to be consulted because work has started in an irreversible manner.

As Platform for Youth Development we are shocked at this development. Consultation meetings done by our team through community meetings at Chisumbanje, Chinyamukwakwa and Mashubi residents came out equivocally clear that the community has not been consulted and until that happens they would have nothing to do with the details of the agreement.Mr Basil Nyabadza, Mr Mundeta, Mr Mundoma and the representatives of Macdom stay accused of side stepping the community to protect personal interests.

Platform for Youth Development is reminding these men to remember that Land is a natural resource that led Zimbabweans to go to the liberation war against the settler regime. This defense option is still available if procedural justice is not respected in this agreement. We are now in an independent Zimbabwe and therefore expectations are that the agreement should involve and empower the community.

While we commend the Water, Lands and Resettlement committee for this clarion call to revisit the agreement, we are calling upon the government of Zimbabwe to intervene with expediency before the community takes the law into their own hands.

Platform for Youth Development Trust (PYD) is a non-partisan, non-discriminatory and grassroots based youth organization that was formed by victimized youth to act as a platform, network and bridge for the youth in all spheres of life to articulate issues affecting them particularly relating to development, democracy, good governance, peaceful co-existence, human rights and the rule of law in Zimbabwe. PYD therefore seeks to bring together marginalized youth in rural and urban areas, farms, growth points and resettlement areas, church-based youth organizations including youth organizations for young women with a view to empowering them and to ensure their meaningful participation in championing the cause of democracy, respect for the rule of law, peaceful co-existence and good governance.

Inserted by PYD Information Department

For more Information contact-Claris Madhuku-Director    -platformtrust@gmail.com

Physical address P.Bag 5004 Checheche, Chipinge

+263 773 010 331, +263 773 011 599, +263 775 042 102, +263 772 896 458, +263 773 010 374

PYD Press statement on the MDC-T Congress

Platform for Youth Development (PYD) wishes to applaud the good work
by the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) in presiding over the
Movement for Democratic Change elections at the just ended congress.
NCA and MDC whose friendship date back to the late 90s when the NCA
together with ZCTU and ZINASU formed the then opposition MDC has been
once again shown to be genuine and real. We applaud the NCA for
conducting elections in an open, free and fair manner. We treasure
such unbiased and resolute character exuded by the NCA as a leading
civil society organization in Zimbabwe and appeal to all other
organizations to strive for such excellence. As a member organization
to the NCA, we have a lot to learn from their leadership and conduct
of duties which has always been of distinction.

We congratulate the MDC leadership voted into power at the just ended
congress. We challenge them to be firm and strong and encourage them
to keep the struggle for a democratic Zimbabwe burning. They should
take lessons from their predecessors who selflessly fought with the
then ruling Zanu PF and brought victory in the 2008 harmonized
elections. Such vigor should be their guiding principle as they lead
millions of Zimbabweans in the struggle for democracy.

As a youth organization, we also wish to congratulate the new MDC
Youth Assembly leadership led by Comrade Solomon Madzore for winning
the youth assembly elections. We wish them well in their journey and
challenge them to strive to be democratic in the execution of their
duties. The youths had always been known as the front line of any
movement and the new leadership should take notes from the previous
leadership and build it up from there. We have no doubts that the
elected leadership will steer the revolution and definitely deliver
the Zimbabwe that many young people had been cherishing for years.
They should be exemplary in the conduct of their business and carry
the flame in encouraging good morals in the youths in this age of the
deadly HIV/AIDS.

We hope to work exceptionally well with the new youth leadership the
same way we did with the previous one. We believe we have not reached
our desired destination and thus call upon the new leadership to tie
up their shoes and brace for a hard struggle until we deliver victory
to the youth of Zimbabwe.

Take note that two of our Board members Promise Mkwananzi and Clifford
Hlatywayo are now part of the Youth Executive. We wish them the best
in supporting the objectives of PYD at a national scale.

Inserted by Thomas Madhuku
PYD Information and Communications Department
https://mail.google.com/mail/h/5krm0e2pxc8j/?v=b&cs=wh&to=platfformtrust@gmail.com
0773 010331, 0773011599

PYD DECLARES EDGAR ZIVANAI ‘TWOBOY’ TEKERE A NATIONAL HERO

Platform for Youth Development Trust (PYD) joins the rest of the
nation in mourning the passing on of the gallant and firebrand son of
Zimbabwe Edgar Zivanai ‘Twoboy’ Tekere. Tekere the founder member of
ZANU is a true nationalist and patriot who has been at the helm of the
struggle for freedom from the British colonial masters. He was pivotal
in the pre-independent Zimbabwe as a veteran guerilla fighter who was
in the trenches holding the gun that provided our independence. We
remember Tekere as a brave cadre who fought against one part state
successfully and now all democratic forces are beneficiaries of his
bravery and selflessness.

Tekere who served in the Zanu high command or Dare rechimurenga during
the war is a national hero.  His desire for a free Zimbabwe led to his
detention at Gonakudzingwa, Sikhombela, Harare Central Prison and
Hwahwa prison where he served 10 years together with Robert Mugabe as
political prisoners of the Smith regime. He sacrificed his life for
the independence of Zimbabwe and we are compelled to honor such
selflessness and spirit of nationalism.

As PYD we urge the whole nation to come out in its numbers and attend
the burial of our national hero Edgar Zivanai ‘Twoboy’ Tekere. As an
organization operating in Manicaland we will be pained if Tekere is
not declared national hero, as this has been the case with Ndabaningi
Sithole from Chipinge. Tekere together with Ndabaningi Sithole founded
Zanu in 1963 though they both died whilst outside Zanu PF structures.

Today our heart burns with chagrin as to the manner in which national
hero status is being awarded. Tekere’s war credentials are clearly
straight forward for all to see. He also proved his nationalist
ideology in the post independent Zimbabwe fighting for the
democratization of the country and the liberalization of the national
hero status to encompass even national luminaries without necessarily
sticking to liberation war credentials only.

The nation will be shocked if he is not accorded his deserving honor.
We know very well how national hero status has become a preserve of
Zanu PF commissioned by the party politburo. Now is the time for the
nation to demand an explanation as to who should be defined a hero.
The biggest question that has not been answered concerns the values
that Border Gezi, Ephraim Masawi and Mernard Muzariri just to mention
a few brought to the nation which Ndabaningi Sithole and Edgar Tekere
did not bring million fold.

As a youth organization we take pride in Tekere’s role at the
formation of Zanu where he was a member of the youth league. Rising
through the ranks to become Zanu secretary general, Tekere’s story
clearly points to a devoted and hardworking young man who gave all for
the independence of Zimbabwe. We believe the youth of Zimbabwe will
continue to actively take part towards the total emancipation of
Zimbabwe from the jaws of Zanu PF dictatorial and securocratic rule.

In Edgar Zivanai ‘Twoboy’ Tekere, PYD remembers and adore bravery,
patriotism; selflessness, nationalism and frank talk, values which we
as an organization preaches every day. We salute you son of the soil.
REST IN ETERNAL PEACE.

Inserted by Thomas Madhuku
PYD Information and Communications Department
For more Information contact
Email: https://mail.google.com/mail/h/5krm0e2pxc8j/?v=b&cs=wh&to=platformtrust@gmail.com
Physical address P.Bag 5004 Checheche, Chipinge
Mobile number: +263 773 010 331, +263 775 042 102