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BY Clayton Masekesa
MUTARE – Mutare-based community organization – Conscious For Development Trust (CODET) – has engaged the Mutare City Council to increase youth participation in development processes in the city.
The initiative is part of CODET’s recently launched Youth Engagement For Accountability in Zimbabwe (YEAZ) programme that is aimed at engaging youths to fully participate and be included in decision-making processes at the local level, as enshrined in section 20 of the Zimbabwe constitution.
As a way of implementing the project, CODET has written to Mutare City Council requesting contact information on members of management and councilors at the local authority in order to create a database for the leadership.
In the letter written to Mutare Town Clerk dated 22 June 2022, the CODET Director, Vimbai Berete, wrote:
“…. CODET is an organization working with youths and women in all the seven districts of Mutare. In the city of Mutare, we are currently working with youths to increase their participation in development processes as part of their contribution to the betterment of the city.
“However, most young people do not know their representatives and are also unable to contact them. We, therefore, kindly request your esteemed office to share with us the following information for the Councilors, Town Clerk and Chamber Secretary.
“We are requesting the name, ward, and contact of Mutare City Councillors. We also request the names, office numbers, and contact details of the Town Clerk and Chamber Secretary.”
In an interview with this publication this week, Berete said the move to engage Mutare City Council will give the youths a platform where their voices can be heard and map the way forward as far as development in the city is concerned.
“This will help the youths to question and have answers from those who are duty bearers and now they can get in touch with them. We have realized that some of the youths do not even know their councillors,” said Berete.
“It is very essential to know and have contact information of the councillors and members of the management so that it will be very easy and ideal when they want to inquire on certain information or matters of relevance,” she said.
“We are leaving no one behind in empowering youths through programmes that give them platforms to fully participate at various levels within their communities,” said Berete.
Berete said her organization will be working closely with the youths to effectively and strategically contribute to the development of public institutions’ policies.