Zimbabwean graduates have lashed out at President Mugabe's party Zanu PF, accusing it of lying to the people in their 2013 election campaign and giving false promises pf creating employment.
Zanu PF, in their 2013 campaign claimed they will produce more than 2 millon jobs for the Zimbabwean citizens. However the unemployment rate in Zimbabwe has sky rocketed to historical figures.
Samuel Meso, an engineering graduate from the National University of Science and Technology (Nust), revealed that he is frustrated at the inadequacy of government to provide employment after toiling at univrsity to get his qualification.
“The government promised 2,2 million jobs in 2013 and now three years later, we have got unemployment hovering at 91%.
“More than 100 000 jobs were lost up until 2015. Our own universities and other tertiary institutions are churning out more than 17 000 graduates every year and the situation is disheartening,” he added.
“I am motivated to challenge the status quo, particularly because after completing a five-year programme in engineering at Nust, I expected to get employed in my country of birth.”
The Zimbabwe Coalition of Unemployed Graduates was last week denied clearance by the police to hold the march, but the organisers have vowed to fight for their right to protest.
Kudzai Hove, a former Zimbabwe National Students Union treasurer and a Nust graduate, said their protest would go beyond demands for jobs as they believe the country’s problems are rooted in politics.
“Our main agenda is that of unemployment, so we identified the major root causes, which are corruption, policy inconsistencies, blatant disregard of the rule of law and nepotism,” Hove said.
Howard Madya, an accounting graduate from Chinhoyi University said they also wanted to meet Mugabe to present their grievances.
He said as unemployed youths, they wanted to know what became of the $15 billion in diamond revenue that the president claimed cannot be accounted for.
“We want the president to address the issue of unemployment to the ordinary Zimbabwean citizens,” he said.
“We also want him to address the economic crisis because it is now in a coma.
“Zimbabweans are the directors of this country and him, Mugabe, as the CEO, must report to the directors, who are the people.
“We are demanding answers and he should give us the answers that we are looking for.” he said.
- The Standard
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