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Introduction
According to the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No.20) Act 2013 Section 20, the youths are defined as people between the ages of 15-35 years; guided by Africa Youth Charter for which Zimbabwe is a signatory. The Zimbabwe Youth Policy is in line with the national Constitution on the definition of youth. Section 20 is a component of Chapter 1 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No.20) Act 2013 on Founding Provisions. Section 20 sets the youths agenda for the rights of youths in Zimbabwe by stating that the State and its institutions and agencies at every level must take reasonable measures, including affirmative action to ensure that youths:
have access to education and training,
have opportunity to associate and to be represented and participate in political, social, economic and other spheres of life,
afforded opportunities for employment and other avenues to economic empowerment,
have opportunities for recreational activities and access to recreational facilities and
be free from harmful cultural practices and all forms of abuse or exploitation. The section concludes by noting that all these measures must be inclusive, nonpartisan and national in character.
Any country’s social and political terrain is defined and determined by the youths, moreso in the case of Zimbabwe where youths make 67.7% of the population. Youths in Zimbabwe face challenges such as unemployment, unaffordable education, and lack of access to health care due to excessive poverty, forced mobility (migration) due to limited opportunities, child marriages and sexual abuse of young women among others. Youths in Zimbabwe are at the receiving end of poor governance, corruption and to some extent HIV and Aids and high drug uptake (drug abuse). Independent researchers have revealed that the general unemployment rate stands at more than 80% with many youth graduates resorting to vending and cross border trade activities to support livelihoods outside of the mainstream economy. As such the Youths in Zimbabwe are vulnerable to abuse and being manipulated particularly by politicians with some of them being used for purposes of committing violence during election time.
Submitted by Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission
This report presents the findings of the Municipal Budgeting and Financial Management Survey conducted by the We Pay You Deliver (WPYD) Consortium. The consortium consists of 10 organisations namely Danish Church Aid, Combined Harare Residents Association, Harare Residents Trust, Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association, Habakkuk Trust, Women’s Institute for Leadership Development, Zimbabwe Women Resource Centre Network, United Mutare Residents and Ratepayers Trust, Masvingo United Residents and Ratepayers Alliance and Diakonia. The aim of the survey was to understand local authority budgeting processes and suggest ways of increasing the participation of residents in the said process. The survey was conducted in five (5) cities namely Bulawayo, Harare, Gweru, Masvingo and Mutare. In terms of coverage, the survey covered 5 Wards per city (2 high density, 2 medium density and 1 low-density) meaning a total of 20 wards were covered during the survey. In total 5,284 respondents (3110 were women that is about 58.9%) participated in the survey conducted between April and June 2018. In addition, the survey team conducted in-depth interviews with finance staff from the following local authorities: Gweru, Harare, Bulawayo, and Masvingo. Interviews were also conducted with representatives of residents associations and civil society organisations in the consortium.
For more the complete report click on the PDF below
Zimbabwe-Transparency-Assessment-2018.pdf