By Staff Reporter, LUSAKA
Former executive director for Forum for Democratic Process (FODEP) McDonald Chipenzi has wondered why Zambia celebrated “Youth Day” when the same youths are unemployed and have been used as tools of violence.
In a statement monitored by WM Media, Mr Chipenzi who is also Governance expert has alleged that solutions to youth unemployment and violence remain lip-service issues without any tangible solutions.
He said those students who tried to go to school, their meal allowances has been scrapped off by the state adding that “this is derogating state responsibility and denying these thousands of students the right to a decent meal and quality education.”
Mr Chipenzi also wondered why youths today stood and listened to Government offering lip-service solutions to them and yet UNZA and CBU remain closed and conditions to reopen them are made stricter and unattainable.
He further alleged that Government today used sums of money flying cadres and ministers across the country to issue
statements on this day yet the country is still waiting an update on the 500,000 youth jobs by the close of 2016 promised some months ago by President Edgar Lungu.
Mr Chipenzi said there was nothing to celebrate about this year's youth day.
“Let us commemorate and reflect as opposed to celebrations because there is little or nothing to celebrate about this year's youth day. We should remember our colleagues who have died and maimed as a result political violence, hunger and poverty...those who have become economic refugees etc,” he said.
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