Terrence Mawawa, Masvingo| Zanu PF is clandestinely recruiting members of the notorious Border Gezi national youth service under the guise of promoting empowerment ZimEye can exclusively reveal.
Members of the notorious Border Gezi national youth service tormented opposition supporters in past elections.
Thousands of opposition party supporters, mainly MDC members were maimed, tortured and killed at torture camps set across the country.
ZimEye.com is reliably informed that Zanu PF officials are recruiting members of the national youth service under the guise of empowerment. The exercise is being carried out in Bikita and Zaka districts respectively. It has also emerged that the youths will be based at Mushagashe Training Centre where they will purportedly undergo training in various technical fields, to empower them for the terror campaign to be unleashed upon citizens.
At the time of going to press ZimEye reporters on the ground had not found out other training camps in other parts of the country.
However, party sources told ZimEye.com the exercise was meant to revive the notorious national youth service ahead of the 2018 polls.
“There is a strategy to revive the national youth service. We will utilise Mushagashe Training Centre in Masvingo to train members of the national youth service. It is anticipated that there will be disputes before and after the 2018 polls such that there is need to recruit as many members of the national youth service as possible.There is a careful selection process to make sure only loyal party members are chosen,” a Zanu PF official told ZimEye.
Political analysts have described the move as a deliberate plan to close democratic space ahead of the crucial 2018 polls. Community Tolerance Reconciliation and Development Advocacy Officer, Brighton Ramusi yesterday said genuine empowerment programmes should be inclusive and transparent in nature. “Genuine empowerment programme are supposed to be done in an objective manner.It seems the so called empowerment programme is heavily tilted in Zanu PF’s favour.All youths must be given equal opportunities,”said Ramusi.