Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment minister Saviour Kasukuwere yesterday castigated the Harare City Council for their blitz on illegal car sales which were being run by Zanu PF youths in the capital.
Kasukuwere, who was speaking after a Press conference to appoint a special youth advisory board on disability mainstreaming, said although he did not condone illegal activities, destroying the car sales was retrogressive because the youth were trying to earn a living.
He said the relevant authorities should not have allowed the car sales to have been built in the first place.
“I understand that must be looked at very closely by the relevant stakeholders, but I am surprised that we react to things when they have happened. How did it happen that they were built and where were the authorities?” Kasukuwere queried.
“All in all, I must say, the City of Harare must provide the climate for empowering our people. The attitude there is retrogressive, but I also must say let’s not condone illegal activities. Those who do things illegally, we do not support. In the same vein, I think when you see a need, it’s in the interest of the country to provide for those needs. If it appears that young people are desirous to go into business and want to sell vehicles, the city fathers must make appropriate plans. Why is it always about destroying what young people have built? Why not provide from day one a decent pathway for our young people to participate?”
But Kasukuwere’s utterances came after Local Government minister Ignatius Chombo indicated his support for the local authority in its drive to restore sanity in Harare.
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Chombo added that it was “unsightly” to have car sales sprout in undesignated areas around the city, saying those interested in selling cars should conduct that business on designated sites and pay rentals to council.
“Does indigenisation say build on wrong places?” Chombo asked recently. “If one is involved in an accident, the likelihood of ramming into a parked car is very high.”