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YOUTHS from across the country yesterday converged in Harare to commemorate the National Youth Day. The day was set aside to honour the late National Hero and former President Cde Robert Mugabe who was born on 21 February 1924 and died on 6 September 2019.

The youths were drawn from a wide spectrum of society that included students from tertiary institutions, different political parties and youths with disabilities.

The President Cde Mnangagwa who was the Guest of Honour at the commemorations, also launched the National Anti-Drug and Substance Abuse Campaign. The theme for this year’s National Youth Day commemorations is ‘‘Alleviating Substance and Drug Abuse by the Youth’’.

This month is therefore a special month for the youths as it affords them an opportunity to reflect on the rich legacy of one of Zimbabwe’s liberation icons, Cde Mugabe.

It is the youths who are the country’s future and should therefore, emulate national heroes that sacrificed their lives to bring about our freedom and independence. Every day the youths should strive to promote the legacy of unity, love and peace that our gallant heroes fought for.

The Government should be commended for inviting all youths regardless of their religion, political affiliation or social status because the event is a national event that should be commemorated by all Zimbabwean youths.

The message that was driven home is that Zimbabwean youths all have a role to play in building a better Zimbabwe.

The youths should therefore, have a national shared vision regarding the Zimbabwe we all want.

The Government leaders that are pushing for a middle-income economy by the year 2030 are not doing this for themselves because most of them are in the sunset of their lives. They instead want to bequeath a better Zimbabwe to the youths.

It is the youths who will occupy leadership positions tomorrow and they should start preparing now. “Nyika inovakwa nevene” (It is Zimbabweans who have an obligation to build their own country) and the youths should start now.

What is encouraging is that we have youths who are already excelling in farming, mining, manufacturing and other sectors of the economy and the challenge is to mobilise those still idle and abusing drugs to come on board.

It is disturbing to learn that drug abuse among the youths is on the increase yet the nation looks up to the youths to play an active role in building a better Zimbabwe. The youths therefore, have an obligation to fight drug abuse by engaging their peers who have fallen victim.

The resources being spent on drugs should be put to good use hence the need for those youths already in the productive sectors of the economy to mobilise especially drug addicts to come on board.

Those promoting drug abuse among the youths are killing a whole generation and all efforts should be directed at putting a stop to this.