ESIPHEZINI village elders in Matopo district have raised concerns over the increasing immoral behaviour displayed by youths in the area.
LINDA CHINOBVA OWN CORRESPONDENT
Village head Ernest Ndlovu told Southern Eye that they had held numerous counselling sessions for the youths to no avail.
“The youths in this community have bad habits and this is letting us down as the elderly. They have in a way reduced our community into a mere community of no dignity,” said Ndlovu.
Ndlovu said the most rampant immoral activity in the area was stock theft.
“We are worried about the number of livestock being stolen by these young men. We have reported the matter to the police and have even provided them with the names of our suspects but nothing has been done.
“When they steal the cattle, they slaughter them and take the meat to the growth point for sale and they have been seen by some villagers,” he said.
Ndlovu said community members are no longer secure in the area as there have been several reports of ambush attacks by the young men in the area.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Silindile Sibanda, one of the elderly women in the community, said the number of school dropouts for the girl child in the area is rampant due to pregnancies.
“There are a number of girls who are as young as 15 years who have dropped out of school due to early pregnancies.
“What is disheartening is that the men who impregnate them are not locals. They come from Hwange to rear cattle here and soon after impregnating our children, they leave the area,” said Sibanda.
Sibanda said it was everyone’s desire to see the girl child taking their education seriously so that they improve their lives, but the present scenario made it difficult for them.
Another senior villager Philani Mhlanga said one of the concerning issues was that most of the children and youth were not going to school.
He said others were not going to school because of financial constraints while some had merely dropped out of school.
“The majority of the youth here, especially the boys, drop out of school and go to South Africa. What is sad is that when they return, they return as corpses and we just bury them,” said Mhlanga.
Ndlovu said the elderly people in the community had lost hope in the community’s youths.
“I am convinced that if this situation does not change, in two years’ time this community will be dead.
“We want the government to intervene by collecting all the youths from this place and doing something with them otherwise this community has no future,” Ndlovu said.
