The recent announcement by Local Government minister Saviour Kasukuwere that his ministry will soon roll out 900 hectares of land for the construction of 20 000 housing units for youths in Bulawayo when Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has more than 100 000 people on its housing waiting list, is not only ridiculous, but cheap politicking at the expense of thousands of desperate home seekers in the city.
Mbuso Siso,MDC deputy national spokesperson
If Kasukuwere was genuine about the welfare of the youths of Bulawayo, he would be addressing the housing backlog and corruption at BCC first before pledging stands.
The minister should be expending his energies in ensuring that the more than 100 000 desperate home seekers, who have been on the waiting list for several years, are provided with reasonably priced stands. The very fact that Kasukuwere is choosing to ignore this huge housing backlog indicates his insincerity in providing access to housing.
The minister’s promise to the youths comes after his party failed to deliver a single job after promising 2,2 million jobs to restore economic stability for Zimbabweans in their 2013 election campaign.
It is unfortunate that once again youths are being hoodwinked by Zanu PF through promises of stands, whose chances of being developed and maintained are very slim given the high unemployment rate.
The mere fact that the majority of youths are forced to spend most their time blocking pavements of bottle stores or selling airtime recharge cards when they are university graduates due to lack of employment is itself ample proof that Kasukuwere is lying through his teeth when he claims to the youths, Zanu PF is a party of action.
As MDC, we advise the minister to stop deceiving the youths and address their real problem, which is unemployment. After governments creates employment, it can then start negotiating with council to allocate land to the youths, after the housing backlog has been dealt with. What Kasukuwere should be doing is putting in place measures to ensure that the youths of Bulawayo are given the jobs that will be created in the construction of the Egodini Mall set to begin soon. That is what a responsible minister does.
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Secondly, it is clear that these stands will not be allocated to Bulawayo youths, but Zanu PF youths only, as has been the party’s tradition of “stands for pals”.
As MDC, we are watching closely and will not sit back while our local authorities countrywide are being abused by greedy politicians and their unholy agendas.
