Online Reporter
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]
GOVERNMENT is determined to equip young people with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote their active participation in national development as pillars of community transformation, Vice-President, Kembo Mohadi, has said.
He was speaking at a passout parade of the Guyu Youth Service Intake 1 and Youth Service Graduation in Gwanda yesterday.
A total of 533 youths from the country’s 10 provinces graduated from the Guyu Youth Training Centre after undergoing a six-month training programme. The mandate of youth service training is to nurture and instil a spirit of patriotism among the youth in the country.
Guyu Youth Training Centre resumed youth training after about two decades following the rehabilitation of the centre by the Government.
In a speech read on his behalf by the Minister of State for Matabeleland South Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Cde Albert Nguluvhe, VP Mohadi said the Government remains steadfast in its commitment to ensuring that trained youths are afforded opportunities for job placement and empowerment.
He said priority will be given to integrating them into the civil service and other national initiatives where their skills, passion, and sense of duty can continue to flourish.
“The youth service training programme stands as a powerful testament to the boundless potential of Zimbabwe’s youth and the transformative impact of national service,” said VP Mohadi.
“It reflects our Government’s unwavering commitment to investing in young people, equipping them with the skills, knowledge, and experience necessary to become active contributors to national development and pillars of their communities.
“This reinforces our shared national vision of unity, patriotism, and empowerment. Their participation is a clear embodiment of the ‘leaving no one and no place behind’ mantra, as envisioned by His Excellency, the President Dr ED Mnangagwa,” he said.
VP Mohadi commended the graduands for their meaningful contribution within the Guyu community as they participated in several community development initiatives, such as Emanzini Community Goat Project where they excavated a pipeline trench from the water source to the storage tanks and prepared land for the livestock feed garden.
Their efforts extended to the construction of the 5km Guyu-Mawulu feeder road, reclamation of gullies in Sezhubane Village, and the establishment of paddocks for the Guyu-Chelesa Irrigation Scheme.
“As Government, we remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring that these exemplary youths are afforded opportunities for job placement and empowerment.
“It is our priority to integrate them into the civil service and other national initiatives where their skills, passion, and sense of duty can continue to flourish,” said the Vice- President.
“Our esteemed graduands, you are the inaugural fruits of this transformative strategy. Youth empowerment is not simply a moral obligation; it is an economic and social imperative. The vitality, creativity, and resilience of our young people are the bedrock upon which Zimbabwe’s future will be built,” he added.
VP Mohadi urged the graduands to think beyond conventional boundaries, embrace challenges and seize opportunities.
He said as the country pursues its vision of becoming a prosperous and empowered upper-middle-income society by 2030, energy, innovation, and leadership of youths are crucial.
Speaking during the same event, Minister of Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training, Tino Machakaire, said the ministry will increase youth service in Zimbabwe enrolment to 10 000 in 2026. He said patriotism-driven contributions from the graduates are important.
“Following the launch of the Youth Service in Zimbabwe programme by President Mnangagwa in May 2024, the ministry went on to train 1 077 youths at Dadaya and Vumba Training Centres in Midlands and Manicaland Provinces respectively last year,” he said.
“This year, we have trained 2 184 youths at three training centres, namely Dadaya, Vumba and Guyu Training Centres in Midlands, Manicaland and Matabeleland South Provinces, respectively.”
Minister Machakaire said the youths have been taught values of patriotism, discipline, voluntarism and resilience and are ready to contribute to the attainment of Vision 2030.
He said the programme teaches them to uphold the ideals of nationhood and Ubuntu, which are key to the socio-economic prosperity of both the youth and the nation.
Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Deputy Minister, Dr Omphile Marupi, who is also the legislator of Gwanda South Constituency, said the youth are the leaders of tomorrow, and it is imperative that they understand the nation’s journey, values and vision.
“With this knowledge, they will always make informed decisions that shape Zimbabwe’s future. As we celebrate this milestone, let us acknowledge the importance of instilling patriotism, resilience and purpose in our young people,” he said.
“As Matabeleland South Province, we are committed to creating an environment that fosters growth, innovation and progress for our young people. We believe that our youths are the key to unlocking this potential, and we are committed to supporting them every step of the way,” he said.
The Second Republic has entrusted the national youth training centres to spearhead the grooming of the young people. This will be achieved by resuscitating the operations of the Youth Services in Zimbabwe institutions.
The vision of the training is of a well-cultured and disciplined youth that displays Zimbabwean values and identity by 2030. The mission is to develop patriotic, disciplined, responsible and resilient youth equipped with relevant skills to enable them to meaningfully participate in nation building.
— @DubeMatutu
