Following on from a blog earlier this year about the YIDEZ campaign against Zimbabwe’s national youth service programme, we received this report from ZLHR sharing youths groups’ opinions on national youth service.

At a recent debate in Gweru, organised by the Civil Society Monitoring Mechanism (CISOMM), students and youth groups called for the outright abolishment of the National Youth Training Programme, arguing persuasively against it from a number of informed angles.

The debate, entitled With consideration for the provisions of the GPA, of what service is the National Youth Training Programme currently to Zimbabwe? brought together a dynamic, young panel to engage in a frank and provocative discussion on a topic that spoke directly to the concerns and interests of the student-filled crowd. In a packed room at the Midlands Hotel in Gweru on 25 November, the crowd – many of whom were students or youth leaders themselves – had the opportunity to hear first-hand from a graduate of Dadaya Training Camp, the Students’ Union President of Midlands State University, and a local lawyer and human rights activist.

In defence of the programme, the ‘graduate’ said it could be a platform for youth to collectively articulate and find solutions for the challenges they face, while it promoted nation-building in the youth by instilling the values of discipline, historicism, and non-violence. However, he acknowledged that it had been taken over by partisan agendas and that there was a serious problem of violence, mistreatment and politicisation. Exemplifying its non-compliance with the GPA, he said that stated objectives such as increasing HIV/Aids awareness in the youth were problematic when one considered the numerous rapes that took place in the camps.

The youth and other participants freely expressed their vigorous dislike of the programme and called for its abolishment. One argued that you cannot teach a young person about patriotism, citing the examples of the liberation movement forming in 1970s and the students’ struggles of ’87. They said that the camps were an abusive of youth, not empowering; they pointed to the deprivation of schools and colleges from funding, and also to increased violence and intolerance, and finally, the lack of consultation with the youth that might have seen emerge a service that was transparent and inclusive.

The forthrightness and willingness to engage on the part of the graduate was highly appreciated by all the crowd, although they took a different view. This is the nature of democracy. However, sadly, he testified that the time was not yet right to be able to engage on a greater level. We still have a long way to go.

The City of Harare is currently preparing the 2011 city budget. The below letter from the Harare Residents’ Trust outlines where you can review the budget and how to contribute your comments on it.

Dear Resident,

This letter serves to advise you that on 30 November 2010, and at Town House, around 4.30pm, the City of Harare, through the Finance and Development Committee Chairperson Ruth Rufaro Kavunika, tabled the 2011 City Budget before the full council meeting. This means that you as a resident have to take appropriate action to safeguard your financial interests in the coming year. The City of Harare has proposed increases in water rates, rentals and seeks to maintain the rates of clinic charges at 2010 levels, among others. There are several other proposals that you need to be aware of. You have to plan ahead, and the budget is the best policy statement to guide you.

The Harare Residents’ Trust advises you to take time to go and inspect the proposed budget at Town House, and all District Offices immediately. In terms of the Urban Councils’ Act (Chapter 29:15), once you have inspected the proposed budget, it is your right to make necessary comments on the budget, either rejecting/opposing the proposed charges or accepting them.

If you object to the budget, it is your responsibility to write your objection letter addressed to the Town Clerk, at Town House, specifying your reasons for rejecting the proposals, indicating your physical home address within the 30-day stipulated period. You are safe and it is within your rights to do so. Once thirty (30) objections are lodged, the City of Harare has to revise the proposals downwards before finally approving the budget.

This is the only major opportunity to the citizen to comment on the budget, otherwise if you do not use your right at law to make objections or inspect the budget, you have no one but yourself to blame when the budget is implemented beginning January 2011. The City will simply implement the high rates if you do not raise your voice.

When you write your objections, make two copies, which have to be both stamped at Town House, to serve as evidence that you submitted them. Submit the other copy to the HRT as a record so that at the end of the 30-day period of inspection, the organisation can also verify that nothing outside the law is done by the council, since there is no water tight method of verification and adjudication that safeguards the interests of residents.

The HRT will keep you informed on the budget making process until it is finally approved. Thank you for being a responsible citizen.

You can reach the Harare Residents’ Trust on 0712-500402, 0774-354201 or 0772-869294 or email hretrust [at] yahoo [dot] com

A press release by the Alliance Francaise:

Karohano Dance Extravaganza with Alliance Francaise

Dance is a language that is universal, it communicates to the senses without the need for words. This year, to end it with a healthy dose of dance delights, Alliance Francaise de Harare is proud to present to you the Karohano Dance Extravaganza on the 15th December 2010 at the 7 Arts (7.30pm)

Karohano is a spectacular fusion of dance, technology and satire from South Africa and Madagascar.  ‘Karohano’, meaning ‘pieces’ in Sesotho, is a collaborative dance piece representing three male dancers from Madagascar and South Africa. It is a fusion of video technology and urban dance energy, revealing aspects of African male identity, political satire and ironic gestures, all this using the body as a medium.  Being a very culturally rooted genre, it is a collaboration between two South African dancers and one dancer from Madagascar.  This piece has been awarded first prize during the International Dance Festival “Danse l’Afrique danse” in Tunis.  For the social philosophers, lovers of true art and the intellectual minds, this will be the icing on the cake, seeing as it is a very absorbing experience with a definitive new flavour to the mind.  The Karohano Dance Extravaganza is arguably the most important dance event to happen this year.  Cancel all other appointments and activities, this here, its the event to attend.

The schedule is as follows, the show will be opened by a local dance company called “Essence of Women” who performed at HIFA this year! After that, “Inzalo” itself will present two mind-blowing pieces.  The first of which, is one titled ‘Collision’ – a solo piece by the South African dancer Moeketsi Koena.  Following this is the Karohano piece itself.

Just to give a brief history lesson, Karohano was created and showcased in Madagascar in 2006 at the Itrotra festival, after two South African dancers toured Madagascar.  Then later braced the stages of South Africa in the Annual Dance Umbrella in 2007.  Later in 2007, Karohano was reworked and performed at Market Theatre Laboratory and around Soweto schools.  In 2008 it won the first prize for the 7th choreographic encounters for Dance L’Afrique Dance, in Tunisia as said before.  Added to all this, they have a dance video which was directed by Jeannette Genslov and it was showcased in different dance films across the world.

They believe that dance is not just a mere response to music and rhythm, but is movement oratory with unquestionable educational elements.  They should know, because their high profile performances are too numerous to mention in entirety having been in countries of different cultures all across the globe.  They also are involved in philanthropic work in various communities, which shows how much they believe helping in any way one can as it always makes a difference, no matter how small.

Karohano
15th December at 7Arts, 7.30pm
C/C: 10 $

Tickets available at Alliance Francaise, 328 Herbert Chitepo Avenue, Harare

After two meetings with the Confederation of Zimbabwean Industries, the Ministry of Transport has agreed to postpone the effective date for implementation of SI 154 from 1 December 2010 to July 2011. The Road Traffic Regulations, amongst other things, require motorists to carry fire extinguishers and reflective triangles approved by the Standards Association of Zimbabwe.

According to The Herald, Transport, Communication and Infrastructural Development Secretary Partson Mbiriri said the regulations had been developed “after wide consultation with all stakeholders,” and that originally they had been intended to give road users 12 months notice before they took effect. But due to delays in the gazetting process, that notice period was greatly reduced – hence the postponement in the effective date.

As of yet, no one in Zimbabwe is authorised to sell SAZ approved products (one of the requirements of the regulations), and some concerns have been raised as to how fire extinguishers will fare sitting in parked vehicles in the sun, where temperatures can get to over 50 degress in the car.

More importantly, whether the regulations come into effect in December or in July next year, the larger questions remain the same – how do we trust the police, notorious for their bribe-seeking behaviour, to not simply view this as one more reason to harass drivers? In the context of Zimbabwe’s much larger problems, how relevant is an attempt to impose detailed requirements as to what I must carry in my vehicle and what specifications these items adhere to? Where does governmental involvement end and individual responsibility end – particularly in a context of authoritarian governance? Is it government’s job to require me to have a spare tyre, or is it my job as a motorist to ensure that I am looking after my vehicle – and respecting the safety of other road users?

Quite a few of us living in Harare “leak” (that is, give a massive sigh) when we’re asked to pick someone up from Harare International Airport off the South African Airways flight at 9pm. It’s not that we’re unhelpful or unfriendly, its more to do with running the gauntlet of weirdly positioned (that is, in the dark, with no signage) police roadblocks, non-working traffic lights, potholes and the Zimbabwe Mafia.

The Zimbabwe Mafia is a group of 4 men who rob and assault people returning from the airport. Most recently my family went to welcome home a sibling returning for Christmas. They parked their car in the airport car park but little did they know that whilst they were inside, a member of the Zimbabwe Mafia slashed one of their tyres. When they left the airport they got as far as the Independence arch when the tyre became flat. Pretty soon they were rounded on by 4 men who were violent (one of them hit the 74 year old driver across the face with a wheel spanner) and they were intent on stealing what they could. When they left, they told their victims that they had met the Zimbabwe Mafia.

Welcome to Zimbabwe.

There is no doubt that if the Zimbabwean authorities had an ounce of proactivity and concern they would do something to improve the security situation for people travelling to and from the airport.

1. The airport car park is dimly lit at the best of times. When the airport wants to save on power, there are actually no lights on at all in the car park. Of course this gives the bad guys all the room in the world to manoeuvre.
2. The airport car park does not have a single guard looking after the cars parked there. Why?
3. Whilst construction of a fancy new road to the airport has been underway for over 2 years, the current one does not have streetlights in certain sections, like before the Independence arch. Why has this not been addressed? Yes, it’s fine for some who speed around our city in motorcades but what about the rest of us.
4. Members of the Hatfield Police Station are incredibly energetic when it comes to positioning themselves on the airport road at strategic times to catch motorists speeding to catch a flight. However, it is clearly known to them by now that local Zimbabweans and visitors are being assaulted at night. Why are they not increasing their presence on the airport road at these vulnerable times? Too much like hard work? I think so.

In real terms, the authorities could make this strategic area of our city much safer fairly easily. But they won’t. And in the meantime government officials cite Zimbabwe as a safe destination.

Come to Zimbabwe and get robbed before you reach your hotel.

You’ll love it here.

1. Put on your turning indicator light and keep going straight when you reach the turn. Better yet, when you are actually going to turn ahead, do NOT indicate, just turn suddenly.
2. When you reach the red traffic lights at an intersection, stop briefly but keep inching the omnibus nose forward. Somehow this makes the lights turn green faster.
3. There is always an extra lane. And don’t buy that crap that you can’t overtake on the left. Zvinokushayisa shura.
4. Play the music extra loud and maintain a constancy of between 100 – 120kph. You will need this for your own peace of mind and to drown the voices of annoying passengers (who often ask for needless change too). They lack business sense and appreciation for adrenalin.
5. Any vehicle moving slower than yours should not be on the road at all. You can make sure this doesn’t happen by closely tailgating the car in front of you. But just be careful with the Mercs, you’d spend a lifetime paying for a dent.
6. Keep loose small change on you at all times. Makes it easier with the cops. Always remember to call them ‘Chef’ and ‘Baas’ whenever you speak to them.
7. You can stop and pick/drop a passenger anywhere and don’t even bother about the hazards. What do you mean ‘what if there is no stop sign?’
8. When you pick up a passenger, the moment they lift a foot to get in, step on the gas. And remember, the benches are all designed to fit four passengers each, whatever their size. In extremely tight situations, you may situate one passenger paKadoma.
9. Remember, the best public transport drivers are ones that learned on the job. Don’t bother about driving school, just start off as a Hwindi and occasionally hob nob with seasoned transporters especially those based on Harare, Chinhoyi and Kaguvi streets. If you can drive in that jungle, you can drive anywhere in the world.
10. In the extremely rare and unlikely event that you get involved in an accident, jump out and RUN!

If you think you cant do all the above, get another day job, you are a loser.