By 
The Government of Zimbabwe relaunched the National Youth Service in April 2024 which is is prudent to indicate that this program was discontinued in 2007 following massive protests from democratic forces in Zimbabwe.
The previous NYS was faced with challenges and marred by controversy thereby affecting its sustainability and credibility as a truly national program for youth development, empowerment, and nation-building. It is important to note that the relaunch of the national youth service is not just a program by the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Development, and Vocational Training but a long-term strategy to consolidate power ahead of the 2028 harmonized elections in Zimbabwe.
While the National Youth Service can be an important program for building a patriotic, well-rounded young person who is an active citizen, there are concerns about the consequences of the re-introduction of the NYS in Zimbabwe. These concerns are well- founded based on the history of the previous NYS and its eventual graduates.
The NYS is popularly referred to as the ‘Border Gezi Training’ in reference to the late Border Gezi who was the Minister of Youth, Gender, and Employment Creation when the program was introduced.
The program was implemented first as a centralised program done at the Border Gezi Training Camp in Mt Darwin. It was later offered in various camps at provincial and district levels.
On paper, the NYS was presented as a program that would “contribute towards the eradication of poverty” and “promote healthy lifestyles and personal well-being of the youths, with particular emphasis on prevention of HIV/Aids”. On the other hand, the rationale of the program then can be best understood in the political context of the country at the time characterised by a pushback against perceived Western interference in the domestic politics of Zimbabwe. The National Youth Service has a history of becoming weaponized and fell into a slippery slope of first being a push-back strategy against perceived neo-colonial and imperialist machinations to a partisan paramilitary outfit for election campaigns.
Understanding the politics behind the introduction of the previous NYS is important in shaping the structural and substantive components of the NYS program.
i. Political leadership development: The NYS ignited in youth, political consciousness and groomed young leaders. While the political consciousness has been viewed as having been biased towards ZANU-PF, the awakening of that consciousness is a strength in itself. What can be done is to ensure that the building of civic and political agency through the NYS does not become a partisan indoctrination process.
ii. National Service: The NYS created an 80,000-strong pool of youth ready to provide national service in times of need. This is a strategic resource that can make a huge difference in disaster relief for instance the climate change-induced disasters like cyclones and droughts. However, the 80 000 youth that was produced were later conscripted into ruling party politics and subsequently became a para-military outfit of the ruling party. Their involvement in party politics made them a bunch of youth without any social and economic benefit to the nation.
iii. Lack of transparency: The secrecy which shrouded the NYS led to misinformation and speculation and this was fuelled by allegations of human rights violations during the training itself and during the deployment of graduates to communities. Further, the government has been silent about the achievements, challenges and allegations levelled against the NYS.
iv. Partisanship and violence: Without belaboring the point, the NYS, introduced as a national program quickly morphed into a partisan program that has been associated with political intimidation and violence. This is evidenced by the NYS graduates setting up bases in communities, including in schools. The unjustifiable motivation for the creation of a partisan para-military training to thousands of youths raised questions of the legitimacy of the program. While ZANU-PF has always denied that the program is partisan, evidence on the ground points otherwise. For instance, the National Youth Service graduates have been institutionalised into a ZANU-PF structure just like the war veterans association.
v. Divisive: While the NYS had sought to promote national unity and oneness, it effectively entrenched polarisation in Zimbabwean society along political lines.
vi. Lack of viable exit plan: The NYS lacked a clear and viable exit plan for graduates to enable them to be self-reliant as had been touted to be one of the key intentions of the NYS – to enable youth to be self-reliant. Training and releasing 80,000 unemployed youth into society without creating a viable exit plan nor organising them to be productive left them vulnerable to political exploitation and manipulation as they are a pliable and vulnerable group.
Recommendations
i. The National Youth Service should be governed by an independent body at the apex, which monitors and evaluates its impact, mandate, and service. This is an important foundation for promoting effective governance. The structure of the NYS should ensure the inclusion of various stakeholders and should also be decentralised at least to district level to ensure efficiency, effectiveness, and local level transparency and accountability. ii. Equality and Equity: Equality means each individual or group of people are accorded the same rights, resources, privileges, opportunities and benefits without discrimination. Equity recognises that each person has different circumstances and accords resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome. The design and implementation of the NYS should take into account these inequalities and enable for all young people in Zimbabwe to have an equal chance at participating and to be treated equally during and after the training. Wherever necessary, equity should be employed including affirmative action to ensure all youth who qualify including disadvantaged groups have a fair chance of participating.
iii. Diversity and Inclusion: Youth are not a homogenous group. There are various cohorts of young people due to different cultural, social, economic, political, and technological contexts. These youths have different needs, experiences, ideas and solutions to issues relating to them. There are young men, young women, youth with disabilities, urban youth, rural youth, educated youth, uneducated youth etc. Most programs and platforms for engagement assume a blanket approach to youth participation. This excludes and disenfranchises some cohorts of youth in the process. The NYS should create a space that recognises and celebrates diversity and ensures inclusion of various youth groups. This ought to be done through ensuring that measures are put in place to cater for the heterogeneity of youth in Zimbabwe and create an NYS program that works for everyone. iv. Transparency and Accountability: The NYS should operate in a transparent and accountable manner, whilst ensuring that it is accessible to the youth and stakeholders. v. Youth oriented and Youth centred: The NYS should place youth at the core of its mission and empower them to actively and meaningfully participate in shaping it and in its governance.
The NYS should not regard youth as passive recipients of the program but as active actors in its design, programming and governance.
vi. The program should also have a comprehensive re-integration strategy for the NYS graduates into the community after undergoing paramilitary training. The NYS should educate and build understanding of youth on their rights, their responsibility, their roles, and their obligations in the socio-economic and political discourse of Zimbabwe. As embedded in the social contract, civic education prepares young people to be active citizens at the community level, national, and globally.
vii. Vocational and Technical Skills: This prepares them for the world of work and positions them to be effective contributors to economic development both in the formal and informal economy of Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe’s NYS ought to emphasise vocational training and partner with the public and private sectors to facilitate acquisition of these skills practically.
viii. Duration: The duration of the NYS should be such that it enables adequate training and development without being disruptive to the youth as they try to build their lives, careers, and families.
Conclusion
Clearly, the past experiences of the NYS have not been ideal hence the re-introduction of the NYS now should be a clear departure from the pitfalls of yesteryear. The NYS ought to develop youth to be well-rounded citizens equipped with knowledge, skills, and values that enable them to reach their full potential while contributing to societal development. This ought to be carried out in a way that the NYS becomes inclusive, transparent, accountable whilst promoting equality and equity in its policy and practice.
The author Leo Chamahwinya is a seasoned democracy and governance activist and write in his own capacity.
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