By Tawanda Musariri

Youths are this year commemorating International Youth Day with an unlikely but incredibly important theme for their age; corruption.

International Youth Day falls tomorrow, 1 November 2018. Commemorations, led by the Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation Minister, Honourable Kirsty Coventry, will happen all day at Africa Unity Square.

The 2018 theme for the Youths is, "Raising Youth Voices Against Corruption in Africa."

Addressing the media ahead of the commemorations, Honourable Coventry said the theme dovetailed well with the African Union's 2018 theme, "Winning the Fight Against Corruption; A Sustainable Path to Africa's Transformation."

"This theme is significant to us as a nation in the New Zimbabwe, as our President has ushered in a new paradigm to improve efficiency in the fight against all forms of graft and to strengthen the effectiveness of national mechanisms for the prevention of corruption," said Honourable Coventry.

These commemorations and accompanying theme could not have come at any convenient time as the country is reeling from the effects of alleged and confirmed corruption both in the public and private sectors.

Honourable Coventry added, "I believe the theme gives young people courage to voice and act against all forms of corruption in the society at all levels. Corruption harms the society and the vulnerable."

Bulwarks of corruption in all sectors of the economy have drenched every vein of the society to the detriment of the poorest and weakest. Graft has impoverished the downtrodden as opportunities meant for bettering them are ground to dust by the mechanics of the corruption industry.

Tomorrow's commemorations will be galvanized in song, dance and entertainment with members of the Youth Parliament in attendance.

Minister Coventry said corruption endangered the dream of achieving a middle income economy by 2030 and implored youths to work in word and deed to protect the dream against being derailed by the scourge of corruption. She further urged the youths to show their patriotic instincts by subscribing to the anti corruption drive.

"Furthermore, we create and provide platforms for youth participation, networking and leadership development. These include such programs as the Junior Parliament, Youth Expos and Youth Build Zimbabwe. Through sports, we unify the nation from the grassroots upwards. We champion fair play in our games, as such we call for fair play and say no to corruption," said Honourable Coventry.

A corruption free youth is an important asset which the country can bank on for future development. Corruption is selfish, wasteful, criminal and unethical.