MASVINGO - Youths in Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC Masvingo Province have demanded 10 of the total 26 parliamentary seats.

The youth assembly resolved at a provincial youth executive meeting held at the party offices yesterday that youths should be actively involved in the political field.

Masvingo youth wing provincial chairperson Oliver Chirume said the seats would be reserved for youths, even in the forthcoming primary elections.

“We held a youth executive meeting here and we resolved that the party leadership should reserve 10 seats for the youths on the total 26 seats in the whole province,” Chirume said. “We want the youth to be given this quota because of late they have been sidelined.

“And in these 10 seats only youths will contest against each other in primaries. We do not want to see the elderly guys coming to challenge us in the seats.”

He added that by reserving the seats, the move would guarantee increased youth participation in Parliament and national processes.

“Youths should be more involved in national processes and nation building hence the need for a chance to participate in politics.”

Chirume said gone were the days when youths would be used as running dogs and tools of political violence by the elderly politicians.

In the meeting, the youths agreed that they would be moving into constituencies to carry out massive voter education programmes to persuade young people to participate in elections and support their counterparts seeking political office.

With the 10 seats, he said the MDC will be able to wrestle the 12 seats that were won by Zanu PF in the previous general polls held in 2008.

MDC won 14 seats and the youths believe that their participation in the forthcoming elections could whitewash Zanu PF.

“If we are given the chance to have the ten seats, we assure the party that the 12 seats in the hands of Zanu PF will be ours and we will whitewash the ageing party,” Chirume said. “We have the energy and vitality to go into the constituencies and convince the electorate that real change is coming.” - Godfrey Mtimba