of the members of the ruling party ZANU PF. All these have negative effects on the morals and values of children. 7.4. Section 7 (1) as read with subsection (3) of the Children’s Act provides as follows:- Ill-treatment or neglect of children and young persons (1) Subject to subsection (4), if any parent or guardian of a child or young person assaults, ill-treats, neglects, abandons or exposes him or allows, causes or procures him to be assaulted, ill-treated, neglected, abandoned or exposed in a manner likely to cause him unnecessary suffering or to injure or detrimentally to affect his health or morals or any part or function of his mind or body, he shall be guilty of an offence. Subsection (3) provides the following:A person may be convicted of an offence specified in subsection (1) notwithstanding that(a) actual suffering or injury or detriment to health, morals, mind or body has been obviated by the action of another person; or (b) actual suffering or injury or detriment to health, morals, mind or body has not occurred; In the present case the use of children to provide entertainment for political purposes which is not educational can be said to be a form of neglect and/or abuse. It can be argued that such practices expose children to other forms of abuse such as sexual and physical abuse and are also detrimental to their morals. In this regard, Zimbabwe could learn a lesson or two from the neighbouring South Africa’s constitutional entrenchments on the right of the child to be protected from activities that are detrimental to their morals. Section 28 (1) (f) (i)1 states the following:- Every child has the right not to be permitted to perform work/ provide services that place at risk the child’s wellbeing, education, physical or mental health or spiritual, moral or social development. Allowing a child to perform provocative dances as a way of providing entertainment can be said to permit a child to provide services that place at risk moral and social 1 The Constitution of South Africa Act 108 of 1996 Page 7 of 17