Story by Aifheli Mudau
ZANU-PF-affiliated groups have expressed confidence that the Constitutional Amendment No. 3 Bill will be passed following the conclusion of nationwide public consultations on May 18.
The party-aligned organisations, including Rural Youths for Economic Development (4ED), say the proposed amendments are expected to support ongoing development initiatives, particularly in rural communities.
Youth representatives from different parts of the country said government empowerment programmes introduced under the Second Republic have already started transforming livelihoods.
Coordinator for Dumba Village, Miss Cathrine Mbedzi said rural youths are benefiting from empowerment projects introduced by government.
“As youths from Dumba area, we recently received chicks under a government programme, and we are confident that by 2030 we will be running even bigger projects,” she said.
Coordinator for Madali, Miss Bridget Nare, said communities are hopeful that more development projects will be rolled out if the Bill is passed.
“In my rural home area of Madali, we benefited from goat projects and other empowerment initiatives. We hope that once this Bill is passed, there will be even more development in our rural communities in line with the mantra of leaving no one and no place behind,” she said.
National Chairperson for Rural Youths for Economic Development, Mr Gugulethu Muleya said young people support the Bill because of the opportunities created under the current administration.
“As Rural Youths for Economic Development, we are praying for unity so that this Bill succeeds. The Second Republic has demonstrated a strong commitment towards youth empowerment, and we believe the extension of the President’s term will ensure continuity of developmental programmes targeting young people,” he said.
Parliament is currently processing more than 300 000 public submissions received during the consultation period.
Once the review process is complete, the Constitutional Amendment No. 3 Bill is expected to be tabled before Parliament for its first and second readings ahead of debate in the National Assembly.
