Examining youth participation in the electoral process of Zimbabwe from the period 2000 - 2013: case study of Kuwadzana

Abstract

Youths in Zimbabwe constitute the majority of the population but are either sidelined or alienated from electoral processes, weakening the very ground-works of citizenship and democracy. Young people in Zimbabwe are facing different challenges ranging from unemployment, poverty, drug abuse, crime, prostitution, lack of funding for tertiary education, and HIV/AIDS. These problems have been exacerbated by an undemocratic and unyielding ZANU PF government which has been in power since 1980. Young people in Zimbabwe have been exploited by the ZANU PF party and made into ruffians responsible for attacking and hurting members and supporters of the opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). Factors such as political violence have contributed to the fear of politics among the youth in Zimbabwe, scaring them away from the electoral process. This has created a “participatory crisis” in Zimbabwe which is weakening the very groundworks of citizenship and democracy.

Against this backdrop, this study sought to establish the nature and extent of youth participation in electoral processes in Zimbabwe, using the case study of Kuwadzana, in Harare Province. The study used a descriptive research design and a combination of purposive and stratified random sampling techniques in order to choose the participants. Data was collected using questionnaires, interviews and the Internet. The results of the study indicated that young people in Zimbabwe wish to participate in electoral process of their country in order to change the economic, political, and economic conditions of their country, but they fear victimization. They are also distrustful of Zimbabwe’s electoral process. The government of Zimbabwe, the political parties in the country, and the civil society, are encouraged to take measures in ensuring that young people in Zimbabwe participate in electoral processes. This is the only hope for consolidating democracy in Zimbabwe.