Aspiring MP for Bulawayo’s Cowdray Park constituency, Mthuli Ncube (ZANU PF), is offering free driving lessons to the jobless youth.
Ncube, who is the Finance and Economic Development Minister, recently promised to install Wi-Fi in the constituency to enable communication.
Early this week, Ncube’s campaign teams were offering free driving lessons to the youth.
ZANU PF Bulawayo spokesperson Archibold Chiponda defended the move, saying Cowdray Park youths will not be left behind. He told Southern Eye:
The youth league has been running this programme for a while now.
So Cowdray Park youths also showed interest and appealed that they not be left behind.
The minister pledged to give them the necessary support by bringing the lessons closer to them not in town, to help with transport costs.
Driving is a skill and with that skill, youths can get employed. We are just answering to a need.
When Zimbabweans are empowered, the party benefits because it’s the governing Party.
So far over 1 000 Youths have registered for the lessons.
A Cowdray Park youth Nontokozo Ndlovu said they need employment opportunities not driving lessons.
Another resident, Yolanda Sibanda, told the publication that residents needed good roads, water, and other social amenities. She said:
So what happens when we get driver’s licenses? Under normal circumstances, we could be happy, but this is not a priority for us.
We can always find ways of getting the licences but what we want are jobs and better living standards.
Ncube is likely to face CCC member Thokozani Khupe in the forthcoming elections.
It is the first time that Ncube is contesting an election while Khupe was the MDC-T presidential candidate in the 2018 elections.