Online Reporter
Cuthbert Mavheko, Correspondent
THE conflagration of juvenile delinquency, which is sweeping across the country like a monstrous tidal wave, is corroding the moral fabric of the nation, leaving legions of our youths like ships without rudders, being tossed about in a turbulent sea of crime, violence, alcoholism, drug and substance abuse, sexual immorality and many other vile activities.
Juvenile delinquency and the criminality connected to the scourge was amplified by renowned gospel musician, Pastor Charles Charamba in a song titled, Tichazoveiko.
He sang: Vanakomana vedu vakapanduka… mumigwagwa hamuchafambiki . . . Hona dzave mhandu. (Our teenage boys have assimilated rebellious temperaments. They are now our enemies and it’s no longer safe to travel on our roads). This song carries a crucial message that describes, in broad detail, the situation prevailing in our country.
According to reports, a significant number of people travelling on our roads are being ambushed by armed gangs and robbed of money, cellphones and other valuables.
Listening to Pastor Charles Charamba’s song, I was reminded of a horrendous incident that occurred some years back. I was on night shift and cycling to work along Siyephambili Drive, when I got waylaid by a gang of youths near a Fuel Service Station in Old Magwegwe. The youths, who were brandishing okapi knives and machetes, knocked me to the ground and robbed me of cash and my new mountain bike.
The Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) records show that around 300 juveniles are incarcerated every year after committing crimes such as rape, murder, theft, possession of drugs and other illicit substances. But what is the root cause of juvenile delinquency in our country? This is a question that is uppermost in the minds of many people today.
There is unanimity of opinion among some researchers that the scourge of juvenile delinquency, which has turned many youths in the country into wild, misguided rebels, has its origins in the home, where children are born and nurtured.
It is very important to stress that the home and family are the basis of a decent society. A loving and affectionate parent is the child’s provider, protector, teacher and lawgiver. Research has proved beyond a shadow of doubt that parents are fundamentally responsible for instilling in their children sound moral and ethical values, which are vital to their well-being. The lessons of character learned at home will, in large measure, determine the child’s future.
“Charity begins at home”, says an ancient English adage.
It seems clear, all things considered, that today we are witnessing an alarming deterioration in the moral and ethical standards of youths in Zimbabwe because scores of children are growing up without any moral and ethical foundation. Children feel neglected because of their parents’ busy schedules and now spend most of their time playing video games, on social media or watching TV. Research indicates that TV teaches children, which attitudes to adopt in particular situations, without being aware whether those attitudes are good or bad.
“Children apply in their daily lives what they learn every day from TV, but not what they learn at school, since they consider school as just an obligation. The personality and temperament of a child is firmly established in his or her first few years of life. If there’s ever a time when parents ought to spend more time with their children, it is during these precious early years. During these early years, parents need to be with their children regularly and show them their love by instilling sound moral and ethical values in them,” said one psychoanalyst.
Indeed, it presents a painful paradox to note that due to juvenile delinquency, our society is now depleted of probity, ethics and principles. Our society is now morally and ethically threadbare, and many terrible things that were unheard of in the past, are now happening on a regular basis. The lack of deep-seated respect for constituted authority among hordes of youths in the country boggles my own mind. I recall that in my own childhood, we respected our parents and all elderly people, and they also respected us. Ubuntu/hunhu reigned supreme in those golden days. However, the sad reality on the ground is that ubuntu/hunhu, the moral fibre that defines our culture as
Africans and holds our society together, has been relegated to the dustbin in these hectic, modern times.
I personally share the same view with those who postulate that parents are to blame for children’s wayward behaviour. Various studies have established that the example parents set in their homes is very important in rearing children. If parents are rude and aggressive, their children will think that is the correct way to behave. But if parents are courteous and respectful, children will assimilate the same noble values. If a father or mother is a drunkard or abuses drugs and other illicit substances, young children will accept that as normal behaviour. Children are natural mimics; they learn more from actions than from words.
This truism is buttressed by one saying, which goes, “Actions speak louder than words.”
As parents and grandparents, we all have a moral and spiritual responsibility to set a good example to our children and grandchildren; this will help to mould children into disciplined individuals.
“As any parent knows, teaching children to avoid cigarettes, alcohol, sexual promiscuity, drugs, criminal activities and so on, is a difficult task. But it is a crucial task because we all want our children to be decent, healthy, happy and successful in life. None of this happens automatically, it takes conscious, committed effort. There’s no genetic transmission of virtue. In dealing with juvenile delinquency, we need to plant a new seed of moral and ethical uprightness in ourselves first.
“We need to engage with our children on a regular basis and teach them about God and His principles of living. When we do this, we will be giving our children the best education possible. We should help our children to develop a personal relationship with God through prayer and encourage them to present their problems, their hopes and dreams to God through regular prayers,” said Ms Bupenyu Ndlovu, a member of the Gwabalanda Seventh Day Adventist Church.
It is crucially important to remind ourselves that in nurturing children, we should never leave God out of the picture because we are a Christian nation and Almighty God is our Creator. Our Constitutional preamble states, in no unambiguous terms that: “We the people of Zimbabwe acknowledge the supremacy of Almighty God, in whose hands our future lies”.
At this point, let me draw readers’ attention to the fact that the most complex, truly unique mechanism that was designed and made by the Eternal God is a human being, with his/her marvellous body and mind. With such a complex creation, it was only natural that our Maker send along His Instruction Book, just as a manufacturer sends along with the instrument or device he/she manufactures, a manual with relevant information on how the product is designed to operate.
The Instruction Book sent from the Creator of mankind is the Holy Bible, which is the foundation of all knowledge.
The Bible contains immutable spiritual laws that, if obeyed, will help parents bring up children the right way in this morally-bankrupt environment. It is pertinent to point out that Scriptures are inspired by God (2 Timothy 3 verse 16) and teach us how to have happy marriages, good health, well-disciplined children and how we can have a close, personal relationship with the Creator God, who is the supreme ruler of the entire universe.
Children also need God to be with them as they face the many difficult challenges in life. However, the heart-rending reality is that getting high on drugs and other illicit substances is a popular pastime, among scores of teenagers today. Many teenagers view this as an escape — a parachute out of the problems they encounter in life. But if a child has a close relationship with the Creator, God, he or she can avoid getting high on drugs and other illicit substances and, instead, rely on God when facing life’s challenges.
As parents and grandparents, we should teach our children and grandchildren the living principles contained in the Holy Bible. We should make the Word of God relevant to life and the daily situations that our children and grandchildren face. When our children and grandchildren live by the revealed principles of God, they will enjoy the happiness and success in life that will make them beacons to the rest of the community. God’s Instruction Manual, the Holy Bible, gives us sound advice about moral principles.
Deuteronomy 6 verses 6 to 7 say: “And these words, which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise up.”
The foregoing notwithstanding, however, one of the greatest ironies of the moment is that in this age of human reason, agnosticism and atheism, many highly educated people and men of science arrogantly look upon themselves as elevated to a plane of rational thinking, with knowledge higher than God and His laws — the Ten Commandments.
They view God’s commandments as old-fashioned and undesirable for modern, advanced and enlightened humanity. In the vanity of their self-professed scholarly minds, they are obviously ignorant of the fact that the Ten Commandments were given by the very Creator, who created everything in the universe – the stars, the galaxies in endless space, this earth and everything on earth, including mankind.
The Ten Commandments are a perfect law (Psalms 19 verse 7). They are God’s basic code upon which all His laws — social, economic, civil and religious, hang. The Ten Commandments outline, in broad detail, how we can have a close relationship with Almighty God so that we may have His guidance, help and blessings. They also outline how we can have harmonious relationships with our neighbours, relatives, friends, parents and spouses. Perhaps most importantly, the Ten Commandments provide for every human need for our own good, in a living, active and continuous relationship with our Creator God. They form the basis of all human relationships and provide the wide, basic general rules affecting every phase of life.
Cuthbert Mavheko is a freelance writer and theologian. He can be contacted on 0773963448 /0775522095 or via email [email protected]
