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New Constitution-making process - Index of articles
Zimbabwe
introduces tough regulations targeting youth groups
Ntungamili Nkomo, Gibbs Dube, Jonga Kandemiiri, VOA News
February 04, 2013
View this article
on the VOA News website
Zimbabwe's Ministry
of Youth Development, Indigenization and Empowerment has introduced
stringent regulations that compel all youth organizations to register
with the government-run Youth Council or risk being shut down.
The regulations
were gazetted January 18, but were only made
public Monday, thanks to Veritas, a civic group specializing
in legislative analysis.
They also dictate
that youth groups should submit annual reports and accounts, as
well as work plans and budgets to the Youth Council, which is largely
viewed as an extension of President Robert Mugabe's Zanu PF
party.
Youth organizations
are also compelled to pay an annual levy to the council.
The severe provisions
were fashioned by combative Youth and Indeginization Minister Savior
Kasukuwere, the architect of the widely-condemned black empowerment
policy that forces foreign-owned companies to cede a 51 percent
stake to locals.
Veritas described
Kasukuwere's regulations as "exteremely wide-ranging,"
urging youth groups to consult their legal advisers and challenge
the validity of the provisions.
"As a matter
of first impression," Veritas said, "the regulations seem
to go much further than the (Zimbabwe
Youth Council) Act permits."
National
Youth Develeopment Trust director, Liberty Bhebhe told VOA his
organization views the move as an effort by Zanu PF to gag youth
groups ahead of the referendum and general elections.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwean
youths say they are happy about employment and economic empowerment
proposals contained in the country's final draft
constitution.
They told VOA
Studio 7 that this is the first time youths have been recognized
in the supreme law of the country, although there may be challenges
in implementing some of the constitutional provisions.
Chapter Two,
Section 20 of the draft stipulates that youths should be afforded
opportunities for employment and economic empowerment.
Bulawayo youth,
Minenhle Tshuma, said government should craft vocational training
programs to fully empower young people.
Jim Kunaka,
chairman of Zanu PF's Harare province, agreed saying if the
draft charter is passed into law, the constitution could be amended
to enforce youth economic empowerment.
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