DUMISO Dabengwa’s Zapu has said it is adopting a youth quota system in its ongoing selection of parliamentary candidates for the 2018 elections because the future belongs to the youth.
By NQOBANI NDLOVU
Party spokesperson Iphithule Maphosa on Sunday said the party – while open to any coalition pact with other opposition parties – was at the same time busy with election preparedness.
He said Zapu had selected Martin Sibanda as its parliamentary candidate for Matobo South while other candidates in different constituencies would be chosen on a weekly basis.
“We are preparing for the 2018 polls, and just last week, we had Matobo South structures choosing Sibanda to represent them in the parliamentary elections,” Maphosa said.
“We are open to a coalition, but at the same time we need to have our candidates in place before a coalition pact is in place. Everything is in line with coalition arrangements where there will be a need to share parliamentary seats and so forth, hence, we are now selecting our candidates.”
Opposition parties have been talking and signing memoranda of understanding on the setting-up of a coalition, but nothing concrete has materialised.
“We are also looking at rejuvenating the party by having the youth as candidates in line with statements by Dabengwa that the youth should be forwarded to the National Assembly,” Maphosa said.
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“We have a template that will ensure that we also have the youth representing the party.”
Currently, the Constitution only guarantees a quota for women in the National Assembly.
The Constitution states that 60 National Assembly seats are reserved for women and another 60 for the Senate and 10 on each provincial council elected on the basis of proportional representation.
Bulawayo youth pressure group, Education and Unemployed Youth Forum of Zimbabwe (EUYFZ), urged youths in other political parties to demand a youth quota during the candidate selection process.
“We have been fighting for the youth quota system. Young people should work together to push an agenda of a youth quota system,” Zenzo Nyoni, the EUYFZ co-ordinator, said.
