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New Year message to the youths of Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe Youth Forum (ZYF)
January 10, 2008

Compliments of the New Year to you all.

As the nation faces a decisive election in March, the Youth Forum, a representative youth body which promotes meaningful engagement of youths in political decision making and policy dialogue, wishes to remind the youth in Zimbabwe that elections remain the most viable democratic option for changing political leadership. It is part of the Youth Forum's mandate to guide and promote the participation of Youths in such crucial national processes. We wish to remind the youths to seriously consider the following and any other incidences and practices that have obstructed the attainment of democracy in the country as they prepare to elect new political leadership in March elections.

The year 2007 saw unbridled brutality by the government of Zimbabwe against pro democratic forces after Gukurahundi. On March 11, opposition and civic leadership were badly brutalized by heavily armed riot police as they sought to convene a prayer meeting in Highfield. Hardly a week after this cowardly act which attracted international condemnation on Zimbabwe, the MDC spokesperson Nelson Chamisa was left for dead at the Harare International Airport as he was deeply attacked by suspected state security agents on his way to Brussels to attend an ACP-EU joint parliamentary meeting.

Several Youth Forum public meetings were disrupted throughout the country by the police CID law and order section for no apparent reason. This resulted in the arrest of scores of activists notably in Masvingo on the 27th of September 2007 where the NCA national spokesperson and Youth Forum board chairperson Madock Chivasa and the Youth Forum Projects Coordinator Wellington Zindove were arrested alongside a student leader Edison Hlatshwayo for addressing a public meeting that has been cleared under the draconian POSA. The three only appeared in court after 5 days of illegal detention which were characterized by harassment, intimidation, and torture and denied access to food and legal representation.

The 9th of June 2007 reminded the world of Operation Murambatsvina, (a globally condemned government clean up exercise which was carried out in the winter of 2005 and left more than 750 000 000 people homeless, mostly women and children) when more than 4 000 University of Zimbabwe students were given a 30 minutes notice to vacate their halls of residents. The UZ SRC viewed the evacuations as political and were meant to punish students who had embarked on massive demonstrations demanding a slash in tuition fees increases. UZ students, most of who hail from peasantry backgrounds wrote their exams from the streets of Harare's suburbs. No government statement was issued in condemnation of this move and this has left scores of people to believe that the evacuations were a government political directive.

The Electoral Laws Amendment Bill, the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act Amendment Bill, the Public Order and Security Act Amendment Bill and Broadcasting Services Amendment Bill which were rushed through parliament on the 18th of September have dismally failed to alter the political environment in Zimbabwean politics, mainly the attitude of the police and other security agents towards ZANU-PF opponents. The Zimbabwe Republic Police and other state security structures including the army and the CIO have been accused of carrying out their duties in a partisan manner, in support of ZANU-PF. These amendments will however not deter these security structures from wantonly attacking, arresting, abducting and torturing activists opposed to the ruling party. Recently, on 8 January, 2008 two Gweru activists, Onwell Marasha and Orbert Masaraure (suspected students at Midlands State University and executive members of Youth of Zimbabwe Arise, YoZA an affiliate youth organisation to the Youth Forum) were heavily assaulted by police at Gweru Central Police Station for demonstrating against the collapse in service delivery in the city of Gweru. This goes a long way to substantiate the fact that the political playing filed in Zimbabwe will not change and pro democracy activists should brace up for state sanctioned violence and torture towards the run up to elections.

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor, Gideon Gono orchestrated cash crisis continue to epitomize government policy failures with long winding queues at banks now being the order of the day. The cash crisis has seen Zimbabweans going through one of the most gruesome Christmas Holidays in human history as most people failed to access their hard earned cash and savings from the banks.

The Youth Forum urges all the youths in Zimbabwe to come out in large numbers and express their will in the March plebiscite. The Zimbabwean youths contribute an estimated 67.7% on the demographic scale and as such stand a very high chance of determining the future of Zimbabwe in March. It is well on record that since the inception of the MDC, Zimbabwean elections have not been free and fair as the ruling government desperately sought to maintain its hold on power through unscrupulous means.

The Youth Forum unambiguously urges Zimbabwean youths in March to vote against: arbitrary arrests and torture, state sanctioned violence aimed at innocent civilians including women and children, repressive legislation (AIPPA, POSA, BSA etc),poor justice delivery system, state sanctioned impoverishment of the masses by the gluttonous man and women in the ruling regime and unaffordable life.

The Youth Forum, further categorically states that the youths of Zimbabwe are more than prepared to safeguard their ballot and will not allow anyone who rigs elections to rule the country. In the event of a stolen election we will organize mass protests to reflect the kind of leadership that we would want to see out of a free and fair election.

Youth Forum Information and Publicity
youthforumzim@yahoo.co.uk, +263 23 353 291, +263 11 925 759

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