Siziba Thando
Zim GBC News reporter
Councillors and the Mayor have expressed concern over the decline of youth centres in the city, citing a worrying trend of decreased participation in sports and youth programmes, leading to increased substance abuse among young people.
Speaking at a council meeting, Councillor D. Netha reminisced about the 1990s when Zimbabwe’s national football team,
“The Dream Team, had eight players from the city’s youth centres. In contrast, the current national team, the Warriors, has only two players from Bulawayo,” said councillor, highlighting the decline in standards of youth centres.
Councillor M. Moyo called on the council to provide capital funding to youths who have completed vocational training courses, enabling them to start their own projects and create employment opportunities. Councillor noted that:
” Central Government had slashed fees for starting businesses, and the council should take advantage of this.”
Special Councillor M. T. Moyo emphasized that youths make up a significant portion of the city’s population and contribute substantially to revenue collection. The councillor urged the council to equip them with relevant skills, citing outdated courses like cell phone and TV repairing.
The Mayor, Senator D. Coltart, supported the establishment of more youth centres, highlighting a request from a young artist to use centres for arts activities. Councillor N. Khumalo assured that more centres would be established and called on partners to collaborate with the council.
The council plans to turn non-operational beer gardens into vocational training centres, aiming to provide more opportunities for youths and combat substance abuse.
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