Leave No Youth Behind to Petition Parliament on Youth Eligibility to Run for Public Office

Youth in Zimbabwe constitute 67.7% of the population and are a demographic imperative which government must consider fully in all development processes. Youth despite being a demographic dividend in the country are marginalized in and from governance processes as revealed in the African Union (AU) – European Union (EU) Summit consultations that NAYO undertook in 2017 under the theme of ‘Investing in Youth’ which had a pillar focusing on Governance, Political inclusion and Activism. The outcome of the process was the Zimbabwe Youth Declaration and Youth Road-map in which a recommendation was made to review the eligibility requirements for accessing public office by youth. This too was endorsed at the main AU-EU Youth Summit in Abidjan and the Heads of State meeting of both continents with NAYO representing youth in Zimbabwe and part of the Cluster on Governance, Political inclusion and Activism. At a global level, youth participation in governance processes is becoming prominent and key among these resolutions is the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2250 binding in nature which urges member states to increase representation of youth in decision making at all levels.

Youth participation in Zimbabwe remains at the non-participation (manipulation, decoration and tokenism) levels as postulated by Roger Hart’s Ladder of Participation. There has been no political will to create mechanisms to aid participation. The political space for youth participation and decision-making remains limited and difficult to navigate. Challenges to youth inclusion include: Inadequate representation in decision-making bodies hence the side-lining of youth issues, restrictive and exclusion age caps on eligibility for public office; political exploitation of the youth before and during election tending towards labeling of youth as perpetrators of violence among others; lack of space and platforms to express their views and concerns on governance and weak youth participation and involvement in local governance in both invited and created spaces. The current generation of youth in Zimbabwe with a demographic foot print of 67.7% of the population is the largest in history and constitutes the greatest percentage of citizens affected by the absence of peace, therefore considering the needs and aspirations of youth in matters of peace and security is a demographic imperative.

The constitution of Zimbabwe succinctly states that every Zimbabwean citizen above the age of eighteen has the right to vote as enshrined in section 67 (3) of the Constitution and section 67 (3) b equivocally states that, “any Zimbabwean citizen who is of or over the age 18 years of age has the right to stand for public office and, if elected, to hold such office.” It is imperative to note that section 91 (1) b of the constitution limits presidential candidates to forty years (40) of age; section 121(1)b limits Senate candidates to at least forty years and Parliamentary candidates are limited to 21 years of age as enshrined in section 125(1)b of the Constitution, which we categorically intend to challenge as it is discriminatory and inconsistent with Section 56 of the constitution which is clear on equality and non-discrimination of persons.

Section 56 (2) of the Constitution states that women and men have the right to equal treatment including right to equal opportunities in political, economic, cultural and social spheres. Further to this, Section 56 (3) of the constitution states that every person has the right not to be treated In an unfairly discriminatory manner on such grounds as their nationality, race, colour, tribe, place of birth, ethnic or social origin, language, class, religious belief, political affiliation, opinion, custom, culture, sex, gender, marital status, AGE, pregnancy, disability or economic or social status or whether they were born in or out of wedlock.

There is value for youth participating in governance issues as evidenced by other countries that youth are the drivers of change and are capable, for instance we have a youthful President in Austria Sebastian Kurz who is 31 years. In other fields and industries, we have youth pioneering innovations that are changing the realities of communities especially the poor. Kelvin Doe is a Sierra Leonean self-taught engineer who built his own generator and radio transmitter at the age of 13. At 16, he was able to build a battery that will provide electricity to homes within his community where there is no constant power supply. The battery was made from acid, soda, and metal parts scavenged from trash bins. Here in Zimbabwe we have Nkosana Mazibisa a businessman who made it to the Forbes Africa’s 30 under 30 lists, which shows the 30 most promising entrepreneurs from around the continent, across various sectors. Much of the progressive world embraces the innovativeness of youth, its energy, vibrancy, adaptability, willingness to embrace change and enthusiasm to learn. Zimbabwe, on the other hand, wobbles behind, unable to keep pace. For as long as the leaders and their followers have differing interpretations of what the country needs today and tomorrow, Zimbabwe will for the foreseeable future stay caught in unpredictable generational crosswinds between her past and the future. The perspective of a younger generation is much needed in our country context especially where for decades economic revival remains a pipe dream; we cannot continue to do things as we did yester-year. 

Having broadly consulted youth across the country, the National Association of Youth Organizations (NAYO) will be Petitioning Parliament on Youth Eligibility for Public Office to enable youthful leaders to contest and seek office in the different levels of governance, this in line with section 20 of the Constitution which through Section 20 (b) commits the government to ensure that youth ‘have opportunities to associate and to be represented and participate in political, social, economic and other spheres of life’. This includes occupying positions within public office - allowing them to elect persons into public office means that we also must entrust them in providing leadership. We will be rolling out the collection of the signatures across the country following the press conference, where youth from all sects of society and political party affiliations will sign to this petition. This is a collaborate effort by the youth of Zimbabwe to ensure that we access public office, the past decades since our independence have only served to reinforce our exclusion – we cannot in the 21^st century continue to tolerate exclusion governance tendencies.

Presser by @LeaveNoYouthBehind