Youth group slams G40

via Youth group slams G40 – DailyNews Live 11 November 2015

HARARE – The Zimbabwe Youth Action Platform (ZYAP), a group aligned to the Emmerson Mnangagwa Zanu PF faction, have upped the ante by calling for an investigation into allegations of corruption in the disbursement of the $10 million Youth Development Fund.

In another acerbic statement, ZYAP tore into Empowerment minister Patrick Zhuwao, Local Government minister Saviour Kasukuwere and Higher Education minister Jonathan Moyo, alleging they were fomenting divisions in the party through a variety of actions.

ZYAP spokesperson Rodney Lunga said they were not against government policies but were seeking clarity on how the previous youth development fund was run, as the war in the troubled ruling party persists.

“In this vein, we sought an explanation from honourable Zhuwao’s companion and soul mate, the former minister of Youth and Zanu PF national political commissar, Kasukuwere what happened to the original $10 million youth empowerment fund, which vanished under his watch,” Lunga said.

“The nation needs to know if there were any structures that were in place to monitor, evaluate and control that fund. We are surprised by the reaction of Zhuwao. Why is he so defensive about an offence for which he is not being called to account? If anything, he ought to be glad that we, as the youth are taking our own initiative to self-police to our own benefit and that of the nation at large.”

The government has admitted that the disbursement of the $10 million youth development fund was riddled with corruption and irregularities, resulting in the majority of youths failing to access the loans.

The fund was introduced by the government more than four years ago as a revolving fund to provide financial assistance for income generating projects for youths below the age of 35 as part of the government’s indigenisation and economic empowerment programme.

Yet some people over 35 years, some of them MPs, benefited from the programme at the expense of deserving youths. ZYAP said Cabinet ministers must stop acting like they are the only people entitled to benefit from the country’s wealth.

“We will not tolerate overambitious zealots who want to treat themselves as if they are the only true citizens of this country and relegating all of us to positions of spectators in the land of our forefathers,” said Lunga.

ZYAP leaders further called for an investigation into allegations of homosexuality by senior government officials.

While ZYAP seemed to have cocked its guns on Moyo and Kasukuwere on the war veterans’ issue, First Lady Grace Mugabe recently tore into the raucous group saying they must not claim superior treatment or privileges because they were not forced to go to war.

Critically, the group also claimed it was “afraid and suspicious” that Moyo was on a mission to “fulfil his goal and mission of destroying Zanu PF from within.

“We know Jonathan Moyo to be counterrevolutionary and to have bragged that he will destroy Zanu PF from within.

“This is why he has been using the government-controlled newspapers to sow divisions within the ruling party.

“After he left the ministry of Information, he has now resorted to using social media to achieve his objective of destroying Zanu PF,” Mazambani said.

The youths also tore into the so-called “Golden Girls” in the faction-torn party.

“This G40 outfit has become famous for being a haven for individuals with skeletons in their closets, the likes of Sarah Mahoka, national women’s league executive member.“

She still has to account for $6 million that corporates deposited into a parallel account in the run-up to the 21st February Movement celebrations this year,” he said.