By: Zethu Gweva
“In the area, we live in crime has increased as a result of unemployment and drug abuse and we want to curb this atrocity that has engulfed our area.” Those were the words of the Founder of the Dimbaza Movement and Youth Development Forum, Masixole Peter.
According to Peter, the YDF was established in October 2019 to gather young people of Dimabaza and ten surrounding villages, where they will have them discuss ways to curb drug abuse, alcohol abuse and crime in the area.
“Young people from this area have nothing to do. When we set down we observed that young boys and girls are skilled individuals who have the ability to open their own businesses but due to the lack of assistance, information or intervention from the community members and groups such as this one, their skills go to waste,” he said.
He added that these individuals cannot be employed nor can they open their own business because for a person to be employed they need to provide a certificate that validates that they qualify for the job. The challenge with obtaining these certificates is that there are learnership opportunities provided in villages.
“These young people can do carpentry work, hair and agricultural work. The challenge is we do not get assistance,” said Peter.
The Youth Development Forum Secretary Zwelethu Madyungu expressed the challenges in trying to kick start their gardening project in Zabalaza. He said they have been trying to procure tractors to start plowing but they cannot as they do not have the resources to do so.
“We have been borrowed land by the Zabalaza Primary School to kickstart our project as we do not know how long it would take to get the land. We were told to ask for a tractor from the Royal House and I was told they were being serviced but until this day there has been no response,” said Madyungu.
Princess of the Mahleke Tribe and member of the Mahleke Traditional Council Nomakhosazana Busoshe said they will support the YDF’s project and will assist them with the resources they need and will also communicate the project to ten villages for all the young people to gather against the fight of crime and drug abuse.
“As royalty, we see this project as something that will assist us in building the community and the youth of this area. We deal with improving the communities we live in and the project is our tunnel to the ears of the youth for change,” said Busoshe.