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hopelessness and fear. The few officials, including the police, that were upholding the law and that were
doing their duties properly, have either resigned or been forced to resign. Those that remained are
afraid to execute their duties properly. Denial of bail has been used as a tactic to keep members of the
opposition in jail and as a tactic to demoralise and deter other members. There is selective application of
the law leading to arbitrary arrest30. The fact that war veterans control most police stations is an example
of how partisan the police have become, and no opposition member would dare report an incidence of
violence or intimidation. This, they felt, was in itself a form of intimidation.
The youth, and the general populace of Zimbabwe, are ignorant of the rules and laws of the country
leading to their misuse. Poverty was cited as another reason why people do not take their matters up to
court, as legal representation is expensive, making it only an option of the wealthy.
Youth feel that the civil and political rights are not protected for these other reasons:
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Majority in the executive are from the ruling party;
No equality among decision makers;
The use of state agents to intimidate people;
Loopholes and corruption in the civil service;
Intimidation of civil servants who are impartial.
SOCIO-ECONOMIC RIGHTS
This dealt with issues around social justice, and the youth felt in general that economic and social rights
are not guaranteed for all Zimbabweans.
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59% versus 10% say socio-economic rights are inadequate.
65% versus 20% say health care is inadequate.
62% versus 17% say education is inadequate.
59% versus 12% say poverty is serious in Zimbabwe
43% versus 24% say jobs and rights at the work place are not
adequate
43% versus 27% say that delivery of socio-economic rights is
inadequate
57% versus 8% say corporate governance is inadequate.
The average difference here was not as great as in other sections – about 39 percentage points on
average – but nonetheless the difference is substantial and the youth do not feel that social justice is
being delivered in Zimbabwe.
The main bone of contention with the youth is the issue of employment. They are of the opinion that it is
government’s duty to create and provide employment for its people, and this has not been adequately
addressed. The relevant ministry is not creating adequate employment for the youth and target minority
groups: only the militia seem to have preferential treatment in employment situations.
The level of unemployment is unacceptably high, leading to high crime rates, increase in street kids and
loitering. Political parties, in return for cash, food or beer, are using youth to campaign for them because
of their vulnerability. They can easily be pressurised into acts of violence as they are frustrated by their
situation.
The youth felt that there is no foreign currency for basic services because it is being used up by the elite
for their personal purposes. Basic needs are not given priority - for example, water and health, - and
30
Here see Solidarity Peace Trust (2004), “Disturbing the Peace”. An Overview of civilian arrests in Zimbabwe: February 2002 –
January 2004, SOUTH AFRICA & ZIMBABWE: SOLIDARITY PEACE TRUST.
IDASA: Zimbabwe at the Cross-Roads: Views of Zimbabwean citizens on democracy and transitional justice.
Select target paragraph3
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