PYD Press Statement to commemorate the International Youth Day 2016

“Older men declare war. But it is the youth that must fight and die”-Herbert Hoover

Platform for Youth Development Trust (PYD) joins the global world in commemorating the International Youth Day. The International Youth Day is an International event endorsed by the United Nations Assembly and celebrated yearly on 12 August since 2000.

PYD is convinced that 2016 is a year that is more compelling for young people to show leadership, particularly in Zimbabwe. The International Youth Day this year has come at a time when Zimbabwe has escalated into a debilitating crisis of leadership and governance. Zimbabwe is now high on the International platforms for mockery and derision due to endemic corruption and patronage of state institutions that has totally excluded young people. Young people in Zimbabwe are now relegated to the dungeons of poverty due to unemployment and lack of an enabling environment to use their talents and creativity for survival. Today, young people from Zimbabwe are scattered all over the world in search of greener pastures. The situation in Zimbabwe relates well with the conditions of other young people in Africa.

In keeping with the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the theme for this year is: The Road to 2030: Eradicating Poverty and Achieving Sustainable consumption and Production and the leading role young people can play in that.

This is an excellent day to audit the intervention made by our government in the whole world towards eradicating poverty and for the empowerment of young people. The theme is emphasizing on the social, political and environmental linkage needed to achieve sustainable development, specifically Sustainable Development Goal number one (1) on ending Poverty and Sustainable Goal number eight (8) on Sustainable Growth.

Platform for Youth Development is still to benefit from the promises of the Zimbabwean government made through ZIMASSET.At PYD, we have raised our voice as much as we are on record having invited the government of Zimbabwe to intervene in improving the lives of young people in Chisumbanje, Marange and Chiadzwa communities. Levels of poverty in these communities are high and deplorable due to unmonitored promises of beneficiation through community share ownership trusts .The afore -mentioned communities are weakening and being taken for a ride by big business that are enjoying state protection at the expense of local communities.

Platform for Youth Development has therefore organized young people within these communities to use their backyard gardening as small scale farmers to address their livelihood challenges. Through partnership with other local civic organizations, PYD seeks to improve these small scale farmers to be linked with Agricultural financing, production and marketing. Training is being offered to not only promote good agricultural practices but also to improve nutritional and health seeking practices. Among other existing projects guided by our 3 year strategic planning, PYD continues to engage with stakeholders that help to create platforms for dialogue and interface between citizens and solution holders in our communities. Our work in the communities has always been objected to enhance accountable, democratic governance and citizen engagement.

In our concluding remark, Platform for Youth Development urges the government of Zimbabwe to take the grievances of young people seriously as a measure to guard against the restlessness that has been encouraged by exclusion and use of state apparatus to clamp down on voices of decent

Inserted by PYD Information Department

P.Bag 5004, Checheche, Chipinge

platformtrust@gmail.com

For more Information Contact PYD Director on +263 773 010 331/ + 263 714 179 219 and PYD Board Chair on +263 772 896 458

Green fuel Security guard shoots to kill in Chisumbanje

Own Correspondent

A Green FUEL security guard last week shot three villagers, who were stealing sugar cane, killing one of them in the process.

The guard, Bornface Shungwa (47) of Giri Village in Chivhu has since been arrested in connection with the shooting of the villagers and appeared in court on Monday facing murder charges.

Shungwa who was employed as a security guard at Chisumbanje Ethanol Plant was not asked to plead when he appeared before Chipinge magistrate, Mr Noah Gwatidzo facing murder charges as defined in Section 47 (a) of Criminal
Law (Codification and Reforms) Act, Chapter 9:13.

He was not asked to plead and the matter was remanded to July 4. Mr Gwatidzo advised him to apply for bail at the High Court as he was facing a serious offence. Shungwa is represented by Mr Langton Mhungu of Matutu, Kwirira and Associates.

Prosecuting, Mr Regis Mawarire told the court that on June 15, at Block J10, Macdom Sugar Plantations in Chisumbanje, Shungwa who was on guard duties armed with a Pietro Berretta shot gun, serial number A20045E fired three shots to scare away several unidentified people who had invaded the plantation to steal sugarcane.

"The accused accidentally killed Itayi Chikwasha Matevere, a male adult aged 35 on the spot.

"He slightly injured a female adult aged 23 on the nose and a male adult, Jairos Mapopo (19) on the lower left arm.
The three were stealing sugarcane.

"The late Matevere was shot in the chest from a distance of 60 meters . When Shungwa committed the crime he was in the company of his workmate, Laughter Garaudzo who was armed with a catapult," said Mr Mawarire

After shooting the three, Shungwa called for transport from his superiors to ferry the injured to hospital. His superiors swiftly responded and took Matevere's body to Chisumbanje Police Station.

"Post mortem was carried out on June 17 at Chipinge District Hospital and its findings were that the cause of Matevere's death was a result of bullet holes in his heart and lungs," he said.

When asked by the magistrate if he was the one who had fired the fatal shot, Shungwa admitted and said: "Your Worship, yes it is true that I told the investigating officers of this matter that I fired the shots to scare away people who were stealing sugarcane. Accidentally I shot three people who were hiding in the sugarcane field."

Chipinge youths embarrass Zanu PF councilor

Own Correspondent

A Zanu PF Councilor for ward 26 in Chipinge, Misheck Busangavanye was on Saturday left with an egg on the face after youths attending a poultry production workshop at Chisumbanje Primary thwarted his efforts to hijack the program.

More than one hundred youths attending Indigenous Poultry production training resisted Busangavanye attempt to hijack the workshop saying it had nothing to do with partisan politics but their livelihood.

Wedzerai Gwenzi who was part of workshop said youths who were in attendance openly told Busangavanye that the project was meant to benefit every young person regardless of political affiliation.

Gwenzi added that sensing that his plan had not yielded results, Busangavanye tried to rally state security apparatus to stop the workshop by lying that it was a political party meeting but that did not work.

“I am shocked that a community leader at the level of a ward councilor is intolerant to accommodate projects meant to benefit the community” said Gwenzi.

Gwenzi’s views were echoed by the Director of Platform for Youth Development, Claris Madhuku who reiterated that he is not bemused by the behavior exhibited by ZANU PF politicians as they have always been against development and empowerment of youths whom they want to remain impoverished so that they can manipulate them come elections time.

“We have been struggling to convince most people aligned to ZANU PF for them to understand that community projects are more successful if they are free from partisan politics and interference.

“I want to applaud the young people who were at the workshop for protecting the project against malice and narrow partisan politics .I am encouraged that young people in Chipinge are beginning to heed the message of shunning politics in favor of Sustainable community development,” said Madhuku.

The training workshop attracted participants from all the six wards of Chipinge South constituency as well as other professionals including teachers, nurses and AREX Officers.

The workshop was part of the series of training workshops lined up for the community through the leadership of Platform for Youth Development (PYD). PYD has realized that young people who are the majority of the poor in communities would need to invest in sustainable agriculture to fight poverty.

The combative youth grouping famous for taking Green Fuel head on, has successfully worked to transform the livelihood of many young people who are engaging is sustainable agriculture including backyard gardening, chicken rearing and fish harvesting.