Bulawayo Cllrs call for revamp of youth centres

Bulawayo’s councillors have called for the revitalisation of youth recreational centres across the city, saying modern programmes and improved facilities are needed to nurture talent in sport and the arts while equipping young people with skills for today’s economy.

The issue was raised during a Full Council meeting on Wednesday, where councillors expressed concern that Bulawayo is no longer producing as many top athletes as it once did.

Ward 14 councillor Dumisani Netha said the city previously produced a large number of footballers who went on to represent the national team but warned that the trend has declined in recent years.

“Bulawayo City Council, through the youth centres, produced the majority of players for the Zimbabwe national soccer team back in the day,” Netha said. “But now we no longer have those facilities. In the most recent games there were only two representatives from Bulawayo, which is too low a number.”

He said reviving the centres would help keep young people engaged and reduce social problems such as drug abuse.

“If we leave them idle they will end up turning to drugs because they have nothing to occupy them,” he said. “There is so much talent in our city, especially in arts and sports, and we need these centres to nurture that talent.”

Ward 22 councillor Bruce Moyo said the centres should also focus on equipping young people with skills suited to the modern economy.

“We need to ensure that the programmes offered at these centres make young people relevant in today’s economy. We want them to learn digital skills,” he said.

He added that traditional training programmes should evolve to reflect technological changes.

“Years ago it made sense to teach young people how to repair phones and television sets, but now the world is going digital. These young people must be taught things aligned to artificial intelligence and other digital skills.”

Moyo also stressed that young people from wards without recreational centres should be allowed to access programmes in other areas.

“We must ensure that youths from wards without these centres are not left out,” he said. “Community halls that council usually rents out to churches could also be used as classrooms for youth training.”

Bulawayo mayor Councillor David Coltart said the city’s strong arts and culture sector could play a role in revitalising the centres.

“We can all agree that Bulawayo has a vibrant arts and culture sector,” he said. “I recently spoke to artists from different disciplines and encouraged them to work with local councillors to use and help maintain these centres.”

Coltart also warned that rising drug use among young people was linked to unemployment and lack of opportunities.

“Most of our youths are doing drugs because they no longer have hope of getting employment,” he said. “Recently council passed a resolution to turn one of our properties into a bar, yet we could have turned it into a sports and recreation facility instead.”

Chairperson of the Health, Housing and Education Committee, Ward 23 councillor Ntombizodwa Khumalo, said efforts were already underway to equip existing centres and broaden the programmes they offer.

“We are trying our best as a committee to equip our centres,” she said. “There are a number of courses that youths and the community at large are interested in, and we welcome suggestions on additional programmes so that we can make the necessary resolutions.”