IN a striking show of community-driven empowerment, Cowdray Park in Bulawayo recently recorded an impressive milestone after 65 out of 77 participants successfully passed the Vehicle Inspectorate Department (VID) provisional driver’s licence examination under a youth-focused driving programme.
The initiative, rolled out as part of a broader empowerment drive in Cowdray Park, is aimed at equipping young people with practical driving skills while steering them away from unemployment and social vices such as drug and substance abuse.
Ward 15 councillor Ashton Mhlanga confirmed the results, noting that even a few adult participants on the programme also passed.
“Sixty-five out of 77 participants passed,” he said, describing the outcome as a major step forward for youth empowerment in the constituency.
The programme, which targets 300 youths, offers sponsored one-week driving lessons before participants are tested for VID provisional licences.
The initiative is being led by councillors Mhlanga, Nkosinathi Hove and Cowdray Park MP Arthur Mujeyi as part of a broader effort to reduce youth vulnerability through targeted skills development programmes.
Mujeyi said the project was designed to keep young people engaged and productive by equipping them with practical skills that improved their employment prospects.
He said: “We want to empower our youth with relevant skills that keep them meaningfully occupied. We are aiming to reduce idleness among youth.”
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The Cowdray Park leaders are optimistic that this achievement will have a lasting impact on the lives of young people in the residential area.
Beyond equipping Cowdray Park youths with driving skills and the opportunity to obtain provisional licences, the initiative is being viewed as a strategic intervention to address deeper social and economic challenges facing the youth.
Local leaders believe that by providing practical, market-relevant skills, the programme helps to reduce unemployment, curb idleness and steer young people away from harmful social vices.
There is growing hope that similar community-led empowerment models can be replicated in other wards, ensuring that more young people across Bulawayo benefit from structured skills development programmes.
