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Herald Reporter
Zanu-PF wants newly appointed Minister of Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Christopher Mushowe to push for the appointment of young people to sit on all State parastatal boards as a way of empowering them.

Deputy Secretary for Youth Affairs, Cde Kudzanai Chipanga said youths had the capacity to deliver if they sat on those boards.

He made the remarks on Tuesday in Harare when Minister Mushohwe met leaders from various youth sectors.

“Minister, most of the people who are appointed on parastatal boards are your age, yet people are saying youths are the future of the country,” said Cde Chipanga. “We have so many educated youths who can perform and represent well on parastatal boards.”

On top of that, Cde Chipanga said it was important to also facilitate youths to get land under the land reform programme.

He said young people had no joy from the ministry of Lands, Land Reform and Resettlement as their efforts to get land have been in vain despite the fact that youth empowerment through giving them land has prominently featured on Zanu-PF’s successive conferences and congress.

Cde Chipanga said there had been a slowdown in youth empowerment programmes since former Minister of Youth Development, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Saviour Kasukuwere left the ministry.

He said financial institutions were no longer availing funds towards youth empowerment since Cde Kasukuwere was appointed Minister of Environment, Water and Climate.

Cde Chipanga said it was important for Minister Mushohwe to ensure that when the youth fund is re-introduced, the whole process be decentralised so that youths across the country can benefit.

Minister Mushohwe said he was still learning the ropes of the ministry but made a clarion call for youth organisations to work with his ministry so that they can deliver.

“Three quarters of the solutions to issues affecting youths must come from you because you are the ones who face those challenges.

“This is our thing together, so let’s work together and make sure that we succeed or fail together. You are the subject matter of the title, so don’t shy away from giving us suggestions and strategies. I really want us to work together. We want to be your servant leaders,” said Cde Mushohwe.