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Mthabisi Tshuma, Showbiz Correspondent

AS schools close today, Bulawayo will be going all out in the fight against Vuzu parties in the city with an anti-Vuzu campaign meant to encourage school kids to shun the unruly parties.

The anti-Vuzu campaign will fire up this morning at the City Hall car park with performances from Cal_Vin and Novuyo Seagirl among other artistes. It will kick off at 9AM with Beitbridge-based Bhadilah, high rising Western Khazins, Rava, Msizkay, Fish, The Kartelz and Prof the Maze also set to entertain the students. 

For the past couple of school holidays, Vuzu parties – where children engage in illicit behaviour – have been the order of the day especially during the festive season. Thus, in a bid to do away with that norm, Health Care Foundation (HCF) Zimbabwe has partnered with the National Aids Council and other NGOs to address the worrying trend.

After conducting research into the issue, it was discovered that youths are starved of clean entertainment during the holidays so to try to rectify that, this show has been organised.

HCF media liaison, Siphathiswe Sibanda, said they hope the event will be an eye opener and will lead to the demise of Vuzu parties.

“Our young people need entertainment. In the past, all the entertainment has been provided at night and that’s why they end up attending those Vuzu parties as they’ll be desperate for entertainment during the day.

“Through this show, we hope that we’ll achieve our goal which is to end the Vuzu parties,” said Sibanda.

A clash of the DJs will also be held with a photo booth being set up for students.

Explaining the Vuzu parties, Sibanda said they are gatherings of mostly teenagers without adult supervision in private spaces for purposes of binge drinking, drug abuse and engaging in risky illicit sex among other nefarious activities.

Recently, Bulawayo Provincial Education Director (PED), Olicah Kaira said the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education will not fold its hands while children engage in the parties and urged them to watch soccer rather than being found on the wrong side of the law. 

“I’m calling on all learners in Bulawayo Metropolitan Province not to make Christmas a time of disaster where they are seen taking alcohol and drugs. This is not for you, time will come for you to choose such things when you are adults.

“We don’t want to promote early child marriages and teenage pregnancies. We have youth centres in our communities so they can even go for soccer matches not Vuzu parties,” said Kaira. – @mthabisi_mthire