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Government has announced the reintroduction of National Youth Service (NYS) programme after its suspension in 2018.
Addressing during a Cabinet press briefing yesterday Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister, Monica Mutsvangwa said the NYS initiative was important in nurturing young people into becoming responsible and resilient citizens.
“Cabinet noted that National Youth Service is an important youth development programme which is crucial in nurturing young people into becoming responsible and resilient citizens with a clear sense of national identity and respect for national values.”
Minister Mutsvangwa further said the roll-out of the National Youth Service Programme will involve community attachment of youths for work experience and service to various Government departments and local authorities.
Graduates of the programme will qualify for further training, assistance in starting businesses, and enrolment for careers in the police, the army, the airforce, nursing and teaching, among others.
However even though the programme claimed to equip youths, who comprise persons between the ages of 18 and 35 years with patriotism, transforming and empowering them for nation building through life skills training and leadership development, the National Youth Service has been widely condemned for gross human rights violations on behalf of Zanu PF party.
It was known for committing egregious human rights violations during the years of the late Robert Mugabe’s reign when it was introduced by the late former Youth Development, Gender and Employment Creation Minister, Border Gezi.
The youths allegedly unleashed a reign of terror in rural areas, targeting opposition activists in the run-up to elections in the early 2000s.
Within Zimbabwe the graduates of the service were known pejoratively as “Green Bombers” after the fatigue uniforms they wore and more recently as the “Youth Brigade”.
The organisation was banned in January 2018 after the fall of Mugabe.
Its revival has been condemned by many as it is seen as a government’s move to prepare for violence ahead of the 2023 elections.
Commenting on twitter, MDC Alliance Vice President Tendai Biti said the government has stepped into violent preparations for the coming 2023 election.
“The desperate regime presses yet another disparate note of discontent. They want violence in 2023 elections . They want another genocide in Zimbabwe.”
The exiled former Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Professor Jonathan Moyo also condemned the resurrection of the program accusing government of killing the program and abandoning the youth
He Twitted:
“BEFORE the election, in this case the 2023 poll, ZanuPF RESURRECTS the National Youth Services for purposes of violent campaigns; AFTER the election, it KILLS the programme & ABANDONS the youth!:
This was however supported by MDC Alliance Mash West who also said government aims at abusing youths instead of creating opportunities for them.
“Instead of creating OPPORTUNITIES for YOUTHS, they want to ABUSE youths for VIOLENCE to stay in POWER”
However the question remains, is this the return of the reign of terror or the return of responsible patriotic youths?
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