Some youth plying their trade at the Magaba area of Mbare Musika have vowed to give President Emmerson Mnangagwa another term of office by voting for him to remain in power at next year highly anticipated general elections, insisting they have confidence that if given time, the Zanu Pf first secretary would deliver what he promised when he seized power through a military coup in November 2017.
Mnangagwa promised to attract foreign direct investment to transform the country’s economy and create jobs for the youth, when he seized power from his mentor and predecessor the late Robert Mugabe.
The Southern African country of 15million suffers from years of economic meltdown and record high unemployment which currently stands at 90%.
After winning the disputed 2018 elections, Mnangagwa said his government would strive to create a conducive environment for investors and ensure economic growth.
“Our economic policy will be predicated on our agriculture, which is the mainstay, and on conditions for an investment-led economic recovery that puts a premium on job creation,” said Mnangagwa on his inauguration speech in 2018.
In an interview with 263 times, some youths who ply their trade at the bustling Magaba market place however pledged to vote for the Zanu Pf leader despite the economic environment.
Despite pledging their allegiance to Mnangagwa, the youths bemoaned the tough economic environment, complaining of difficulty in accessing business financing for their businesses among other issues.
“Yes, we are starving, we are not making enough, but we will vote for President Mnangagwa. He is our hero. He brought independence to this country, so we should give him the chance to revive our economy,” said another youth who declined to be named.
Asked if the current economic hardships would push them to change their vote and opt for Citizens Coalition for Change leader, Nelson Chamisa, the youths said, “We don’t care if Chamisa promises to bring bullet trains or heaven, what we want is a leader who will address our immediate needs and that leader is President Mnangagwa.”
CCC leader Nelson Chamisa, who is President Mnangagwa’s main rival, through his rallies at the March 26 by-election campaign rallies pledged to revive the faultering economy, create jobs and pay civil servants salaries in United States dollars.
The pledge of allegiance to President Mnangagwa by the Mbare based youths that we interviewed may have been purely out of fear as operating a business in these areas requires one to pledge allegiance to the ruling Zanu Pf party, which runs nearly all the stalls in the area.
The high unemployment rate in the country has led to a lot of youths resorting to illicit drugs and alcohol in order to cope. Drug abuse has wrecked havoc among the youth and needs urgent attention.
