23 public funds are being misused to set up youth camps instead of being put to basic services. Hospitals are now expensive and not up to standard, and this is coupled with the migration of doctors and nurses to other countries due to the very low salaries. The HIV/Aids pandemic adds to the problem as the sufferers stretch the already strained health facilities. People are dying with no adequate medication, because medication and consultation fees are now exorbitant. The water issue only worsens the already overstrained health sector as the unclean water makes people vulnerable to water borne diseases. Food is expensive and is of low quality, leading to people eat badly and less. The youth applauded the government when it embarked on land reform as they saw it as a way out of the poverty they were experiencing, but this was short lived. The land reform process is only benefiting members of the ruling party, especially the elite, who are non-resident, inexperienced farmers, and the result is that there is insufficient food to feed the country. There is political affiliation in distributing food, with only people bearing party cards receiving food aid. People are receiving food as an incentive and reward for voting for a particular party. The youth state that it is not only members of one party that are starving, but it seems the supporters of Zanu PF have more access to food than others. There is an acute shortage of adequate shelter. Accommodation is expensive, leaving many people living in squalid, one-roomed, make-shift shacks, with no running water and inadequate sanitary facilities, where they are being forced to pay exorbitant rent. Social welfare funds are not reaching beneficiaries but are being diverted by those in power to non-deserving projects or people. Associations for the disadvantaged, who may have raised this issue, have been rendered useless by non-recognition. The education sector has deteriorated steadily over the past few years and the government’s attempt to control private schools shows this. Many qualified teachers were expelled from work when they went on strike for better pay or accused of supporting the opposition. This all contributed to the collapse of the education system. An education is no longer a right but a privilege, as even the government schools that were once free are now beyond the reach of many parents. Youths who have been trained in the youth camps, are the ones who get preference in tertiary education. The few scholarships available are government controlled - for example the Fort Hare scholarships - and are not accessible to anyone. General findings Thus, the youth seem little different to the general population surveyed by the Afrobarometer in 2004. Their views can be simply summarised: · · · · · They do not believe that there are opportunities for open participation in the political, social, and economic life of Zimbabwe; They do not believe that the government is legitimate, and, furthermore, believe that the government has been illegitimately elected. They believe that there must be significant electoral reform if Zimbabwe is to ensure that government’s are legitimately elected; They do not believe that there are any controls over the government, nor that there are sufficient protections for the rights of ordinary citizens; They do not believe that Zimbabwe is approaching any form of social justice, and indeed see a marked deterioration in social and economic life; They do not support the National Youth Service programme, and see the service as partisan. This small study thus replicates most of the findings of the Afrobarometer survey, and extends these in some directions. The findings indicate a youth that is informed, although they wish that they were better informed and resent the attempts to withhold information. It also shows a youth that has mature political views and a good understanding of the current political dynamics in Zimbabwe. It is thus interesting to examine the ways in which the youth believe that democracy can be restored and extended in Zimbabwe in the future. IDASA: Zimbabwe at the Cross-Roads: Views of Zimbabwean citizens on democracy and transitional justice.