Youth without a Vision or a Vision without Youth: The Bulawayo Vuzu Parties Revisited

Abstract

Bulawayo has been hit by a new phenomenon: vuzu parties, where teenagers of school-going age, ranging from the ages of 13 to 19, get involved in parties where alcohol and drugs are abused, leading to voluntary and involuntary unprotected sex. A 2015 report revealed that at least 47% of teenagers in Bulawayo between the ages of 13 and 20 are active participants in these popular wild parties, commonly known as “Vuzu,” where dangerous drugs, alcohol abuse, and sex are held. A lot of blame has been put on youth for lacking a vision and also on parents for failing to take care of their children, especially absentee parents. This paper examines the vuzu party phenomenon, including its nature, causes, trends, patterns, and consequences. The paper goes further to suggest a possible solution to the problem of Vuzu parties, which have been blamed for increasing the risk of HIV/AIDS, rape, and recently COVID-19 among the youth. The authors have been guided by the General Strain Theory (GST), a theory borrowed from criminology that simply states that a range of strain or stress increases the likelihood of crime.