So much has been said of late on this issue that it would be unfair for us not to comment. Consequently we shall comment on the ZINWA issue after this one.
Miss Rural Zimbabwe has existed for more than three years now with little or no problems and complaints about what it stands for and the way it is run from Government officials. However since the live beaming on national television, in full view of children and visitors from other countries,of a hired musician from Botswana popularly known as Vee embarrassingly and disgustingly displaying to us what he thinks of the whole show, suddenly tongues are wagging, government is acting and officials are distancing themselves from the whole fiasco. Some officials in the tourism sector, which has sponsored this pageant in the past are saying they have nothing to do with it and they want the organisers investigated.
For those of you that missed the incident on ZTV this is what happened. During his performance Vee, of the Taku Taku fame called some girls on to the stage and with the help of some of his male dancers went on to perform dances that are nothing short of sexual acts on these helpless girls who were visibly shaken during and after the whole incident. A week or so later, Vee is back in his country with a fatter pocket, his image and that of his country still in tact while this country and its youths' images are in a fix again, never mind the fact that that whole show was in a bid to spruce it up.
Our question is, apart from Betty Makoni of the Girl Child Network, who from the on set explicitly expressed her displeasure at Mrs Sipho Mazibuko's experiment on the beauty and innocence of the rural girl, where were all these other voices that are now being heard complaining? Where were the Ministries that deal with the Youth,Gender, and Tourism? Surely when the first pageant was being broadcast live on ZTV a few years ago these sectors were wide awake and watching.
What makes it different now? Is it that the world saw it raw and because this was being done by a foreigner? because the sexual abuse on some of these girls has been taking place for years behind the camera. For how long will the youths and in particular the girls cry before action is taken. Would Betty Makoni's cries for an investigation into this issue have been echoed had those images not appeared on TV? We wounder!
We have no answers to these questions but hope that you can speak your mind on these issues. Do you think Sipho Mazibuko should be investigated?, Do you think the relevant Ministries are Partly to blame for this assault on the rural girl by taking so long to respond on the issue? Do you think there is talent to reap in placing our rural girls in the spotlight, on the ramp, in a drinking hall? Do you think there is talent to showcase in Modeling at all? if there is what is it and how can it help market our country. Remember, Zimbabwe does not have a monopoly of beautiful women, are there no better ways of promoting the nation without exploiting our youths in this manner.
Youths speak your mind. Click on Comment and a comments page will appear then tell us what you really think about this issue. Remember we should respect each other's opinions.
NYDT
Tuesday 23 October 2007
Sunday 7 October 2007
Toast to the future
Board Chairman Mgcini Mike Nkolomi and the NYDT team making a special toast to the future of NYDT.
Youth Forum Panel
Presenters at an NYDT youth forum meeting ( from left to right) Xolani Zitha ( Deputy Director - Bulawayo Agenda), Dumisani Nkomo ( Executive Director - Habbakuk Trust) and Jack Zaba ( Programmes Officer - ZESN)
Strategic Partnerships
Synodia Makanza ( 2nd from right) attending an NYDT strategic Planning workshop at the Cresta Churchill in Bulawayo
The NYDT Team
NYDT Team after a successful Strategic Planning Workshop at the Cresta Churchill Hotel in Bulawayo
Friday 5 October 2007
18th Amendment
Amendment number 18 to the Zimbabwean constitution has come with a lot of surprises especially to the organisations advocating for change in Zimbabwe.
Lets first look at some of its provisions.
Amendment 18 will:
i. Unify Presidential,Parliamentary,Senatorial,Mayoral, and Council elections. This means the lessening of the presidential term while it increases the number of members in the upper and lower houses of Assembly.
ii.Increases the number of members of Parliament from 150 to 210 and that of senate members from 66 to 93.
iii. Make way for the appointment of a Human Rights commission
iv. Change the title of the office of the Ombudsman to that of the Public Protector amongst other things.
v. Parliament will elect a Presidential successor to finish the term of the president who has suddenly died, resigned or be given a vote of no confidence.
The arguments making rounds are that while the unification of elections is most welcome and desirable it will cut down on government spending on tax payers money, the additional changes will add even more burden on the fiscus in that it increases the number of Upper and Lower houses of assembly members .The other changes are not urgent to the Zimbabwean crises which the amendment does not address, for example the fast declining health delivery system, the breakdown in the education system, increasing unemployment levels, high numbers of HIV/AIDS infections and related deaths and last but not least does not contribute much to the need for a wholesome overhaul of the present constitution.
While the amendment was passed unopposed into law, the major opposition party MDC factions state that a lot of changes were made to the original draft which allowed them to agree to it. Some of these changes include:
i. The holding of all elections at the same time instead of the council elections in January and the Presidential and Parliamentary in March which the MDC argues ZANU PF would want to use as a gauge for its support before the major elections.
ii. There shall be no presidential appointees, all members of the houses' of assembly will be elected by the electorate or parliament.
iii. The Human Rights commission will be elected by Parliament.
iv. Instead of the electorate going back to the polls to replace a President who still had sometime left in office, his successor will be elected on their behalf by the parliamentarians.
While this is yet another piecemeal alteration to the legal framework of the land, the opposition says it has been promised a brand new, people driven and democratic constitution before 2008 elections.
Meanwhile civic groups have cried foul and claim they are being left out of the processes for change which was initiated by SADC. They say they deserve a voice in the talks as ZANU PF and the two factions of the MDC are not fully representative of all the people of Zimbabwe and the country's problems are not purely political in nature.
Youths, please "Speak Your Mind"on the above issues by sending us your opinions.
Lets first look at some of its provisions.
Amendment 18 will:
i. Unify Presidential,Parliamentary,Senatorial,Mayoral, and Council elections. This means the lessening of the presidential term while it increases the number of members in the upper and lower houses of Assembly.
ii.Increases the number of members of Parliament from 150 to 210 and that of senate members from 66 to 93.
iii. Make way for the appointment of a Human Rights commission
iv. Change the title of the office of the Ombudsman to that of the Public Protector amongst other things.
v. Parliament will elect a Presidential successor to finish the term of the president who has suddenly died, resigned or be given a vote of no confidence.
The arguments making rounds are that while the unification of elections is most welcome and desirable it will cut down on government spending on tax payers money, the additional changes will add even more burden on the fiscus in that it increases the number of Upper and Lower houses of assembly members .The other changes are not urgent to the Zimbabwean crises which the amendment does not address, for example the fast declining health delivery system, the breakdown in the education system, increasing unemployment levels, high numbers of HIV/AIDS infections and related deaths and last but not least does not contribute much to the need for a wholesome overhaul of the present constitution.
While the amendment was passed unopposed into law, the major opposition party MDC factions state that a lot of changes were made to the original draft which allowed them to agree to it. Some of these changes include:
i. The holding of all elections at the same time instead of the council elections in January and the Presidential and Parliamentary in March which the MDC argues ZANU PF would want to use as a gauge for its support before the major elections.
ii. There shall be no presidential appointees, all members of the houses' of assembly will be elected by the electorate or parliament.
iii. The Human Rights commission will be elected by Parliament.
iv. Instead of the electorate going back to the polls to replace a President who still had sometime left in office, his successor will be elected on their behalf by the parliamentarians.
While this is yet another piecemeal alteration to the legal framework of the land, the opposition says it has been promised a brand new, people driven and democratic constitution before 2008 elections.
Meanwhile civic groups have cried foul and claim they are being left out of the processes for change which was initiated by SADC. They say they deserve a voice in the talks as ZANU PF and the two factions of the MDC are not fully representative of all the people of Zimbabwe and the country's problems are not purely political in nature.
Youths, please "Speak Your Mind"on the above issues by sending us your opinions.
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