ZANU PF stalls a soccer tournament in Chipinge

A soccer tournament organized to bring together youths in Chipinge South’s ward 28 is now hanging in the air after Zanu PF youths threatened to disrupt the event, in yet another bold statement showing the party’s frantic efforts to close space for any gatherings outside their structures.

Ndomupeyi Mandhlazi, leading a team of Zanu PF Youth Officers is alleged to have told Mukanya Holdings, organizers of the Soccer Tournament to stop their plans for the event, threatening to disrupt it should they continue since it is not advancing Zanu PF interests.

Platform for Youth Development’s Forget Hlomani who is also the Ward Coordinator for the tournament expressed concern over the behavior of Zanu PF Youth Officers whom he said were politicizing a noble initiative that seeks to bring youths together.

“I am pained at heart with this level of ignorance being shown by ZANU PF youth officers. The youth officers are being partisan by taking instruction from ZANU PF leadership who themselves cannot allow young people to gather without sloganeering” fumed Hlomani.

The tournament which was scheduled for Mabee on the 13^th of November and Chinyamukwakwa on the 20^th of November 2016, but could not kick off as planned due to political interference.

“The preparations were already at an advanced level before facing this political interference since the final games were set for the first week of December 2016,” lamented Mukanya, the organizer of the tournament.

Mukanya has insisted that the tournament will proceed since it has nothing to do with ZANU PF or any of the opposition political parties, but the young people of ward 28.

“We have no allegiance to party politics but allegiance to young people” said Mukanya.

Platform for Youth Development Trust shares the spirit and confidence expressed by the sponsors like Mukanya who are helping communities by bringing young people together. Young people remain at the heart of PYD programming. The PYD Director Mr Claris Madhuku promised to intervene to ensure that the tournament is able to take place without drama.

“As a community based organization PYD believes that young people must be given opportunities to come together and create platforms to discuss their challenges and hopes. A soccer tournament is one such platform and we will intervene to positively explain the advantages of such forums which promote co existence” PYD Director said

Platform for Youth Development has remained very pivotal in the lives of young people in Chipinge having done peace building projects and currently implementing a community project to empower young women and girls to defend themselves against harmful cultural practices.

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Elnino induced hunger causing early child marriages in Chipinge

Platform for Youth Development recently launched a community project aimed at strengthening young women and girls in building their capacities to defend themselves against harmful cultural practices. The project that is ongoing in Chipinge district is making impact in areas, especially those along the border with Mozambique where abuse of women and girls are rampant and uninterrupted.

According to statistics provided by Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA), 15 out of 20 countries with the highest rate of child marriages are in Africa with Sub Saharan Africa having 39 percent. Back home, PYD estimates that 1 in every 2 marriages taking place in Chipinge involves girls who are less than 18 years of age. This constitutes a serious concern that must involve strong advocacy targeted at key community stakeholders who can influence change. PYD as campaigners against child marriages believes the constitution, the recent Con Court ruling as well as other international legal and policy instruments at its disposal can be effective tools to fighting against the vice.

The ambitious youth group is committed to tackle ignorance and lack of proper education which has contributed in limiting existing efforts to deal with child marriages. The Gender and Advocacy Officer Ms.CynthiaGwenzi admits that the advocacy against child marriages is not a new project but an important one because of its impact to the rural communities such as Chipinge.

“It is on record that in Chipinge girls are married at a very young age thereby undermining their potential to contribute to the socio-economic value of their communities” said Gwenzi.

By marrying young, these girls are exposed to so many risks that involve dropping out of school, sexual and physical abuse, limited independence and high maternal mortality. Debra Dube agrees with Cynthia, confirming that girls who are less than 18 years are psychologically not expected to give free, prior and informed consent to their marriage partners or to the timing of their marriage.

“I am a victim having to drop out of school while in form three and becoming a mother at 15 years” said Debra.

Debra is now part of 20 gender activists working under the Platform for Youth banner in building the capacities of young women to defend themselves against harmful cultural practices such as the normalization of child marriages.

According the PYD Board Chair Sally Nobuhle Mlambo, Platform for Youth Development will succeed in its objectives to capacitate young women and girls to confront harmful gender based practices.

“Basing on the reception we are getting in the wards we have penetrated, the task before us is challenging but not insurmountable. PYD is strategic and we will involve other stakeholders with more experience to overcome some of the complicated cases” Nobuhle said.

PYD is concerned that this year alone, the numbers of child marriages and unwanted pregnancies have increased. The increase has been attributable to the desperation and hunger induced by the Elnino drought of the 2014/2015 farming season. Parents are struggling to raise fees and to provide food, making the situation untenable.PYD is handling cases of parents actually taking the initiative to offer their daughters to well off families, inorder to survive the drought. 

The other organizations working in Chipinge to deal with issues of children’s rights and welfare are Plan International and Child Line.

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