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Blessings Chidakwa
Herald Reporter
Cry my beloved recreational facilities!
Gone are the days when youths used to visit city’s recreational facilities including public swimming pools both in affluent suburbs and high-density areas.
Youths mostly in urban areas had somewhere to spend their spare time, be it playing soccer, volleyball, basketball or cricket instead of engaging in illicit drugs.
The recreational spaces were simply destroyed overnight when the opposition in its changing forms from MDC, MDC-T, MDC-Alliance and now CCC took charge of the urban councils.
While there has been a lot of concerted Government efforts in curbing the scourge of drug abuse in the country, the alternative spaces of interaction among youths continue to be lost by each passing day.
President Mnangagwa himself is not taking the drug abuse fight lightly as he recently launched a National Drug Abuse Fund.
The fund which was provided in this year’s budget is meant to, among other things, establish rehabilitation centres for drug addicts and also help combat and contain drug and substance abuse.
Addressing thousands of youths during the National Youth Day in Harare President Mnangagwa revealed that an inter-ministerial committee chaired by Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Professor Paul Mavima has also been constituted.
He said the Dangerous Drugs Act will be reviewed, as part of a battery of measures the Second Republic is implementing in the fight against dangerous substances abuse.
The President, who was the guest of honour at the National Youth Day, told thousands of young people drawn from the country’s 10 provinces that his administration is going to make sure the war against drug abuse is won using the country’s laws and their interventions.
The theme of this year’s National Youth Day was, “Towards Achieving Vision 2030: Alleviate Substance and Drug Abuse by the Youth”.
“In order to combat this scourge, my Government has put in place the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Drug and Substance Abuse. Over and above this, a National Drug Abuse Fund has been established in the 2022 national budget.
“In addition, a multi-sectoral approach has been deployed by various stakeholders towards complementing Government efforts in the fight against drug and substance abuse by the youth,” said President Mnangagwa.
While these efforts at Central Government are commendable at local level it remains a serious cause for concern.
If all we do is treat symptoms we are not going to cure the disease. What is needed to do is change the root cause.
Harare City Council and Chitungwiza are a clear example of how the corrupt opposition councillors have been rampantly and corruptly turning recreational facilities into residential areas.
The few remaining ones are in a very sorry state and deteriorating at a fast pace hindering efforts of curbing drug abuse.
Residents should simply vote out the opposition councillors.
Gone are those years when young people in the ghetto would go for swings and slides in a nearby recreational park — days when children would leave their plastic balls on the streets to go to a nearby swimming pool to cool off.
At a place like Glen Norah Park, even adults would go to watch wild animals and birds in a secure cage that was always a hive of activity.
Talking about family picnics in some parts of the well-maintained parks, the facilities created unique leisure islands that were usually packed during weekends.
In the Central Business District, people would throng the Harare Gardens and Africa Unity Square for classy photographs and “upgraded” leisure.
It was an era of simple exciting outdoor entertainment.
Even Harare Gardens and Africa Unity Square that still attract a few visitors have lost their class. Despite the leisure function, parks beautified places like Highfield, Mufakose, Mbare and Glen Norah.
Swimming pools have closed down and some parks have been turned into maize fields.
Mbare had its famous swimming pool; George Hartley, which was nicknamed “kwa Nowero” by its divers, a moniker derived from its infamous deep end.
Some of the famous soccer legends and artistes grew up playing and swimming at Nowero.
The pool just like the ones in Highfield, Mufakose, Mabelreign and Hatfield are now in a sorry state and a comparison of yesteryear and today’s pictures can be disappointing. Some of the dilapidated facilities are now harbouring street-kids and being used for drugs or as sex nests.
Youths simply have nowhere to spend their time, in Chitungwiza football grounds are being converted into residential and business stands.
Parks including Sunningdale where people used to go and interact were converted into a commercial stand leaving youths vulnerable as they have nowhere to spend their time.
However, while the opposition is busy destroying spaces that youths used to rely on heavily for social life the Government is not folding hands.
During the National Youth Day, President Mnangagwa said establishment of rehabilitation centres was one of the Government’s priorities.
He was responding to a testimony by a young man who had implored the Government to set up affordable rehabilitation centres that will complement the counselling services provided to those who abuse drugs.
President said the Government will do everything to fight drug abuse, including exposing cartels peddling drugs such as guka, bronco, glue, musombodhia, cocaine and crystal meth, commonly known as mutoriro.
“Ultimately you as the youth must take responsibility to fight, resist and reject drug and substance abuse. The review of the Dangerous Drugs Act to meet and deal with the obtaining realities in tackling drug-related issues is being speeded up,” he said. After all, has been said the state of recreational facilities in urban areas is worrisome and needs urgent redemption.
The only solution needed for now is voting out the opposition councillors who have proved beyond any imaginable doubt their incapacity to turn around recreational facilities.
What they have managed to do is simply destroy the existing structures.
Online Reporter