Police in Bulawayo yesterday (Friday) rounded up 39 learners at a house in the city where a vuzu party was in progress.
“The ZRP confirms the arrest of 39 students from various schools in Bulawayo at a certain house in Khumalo suburb, on 18/11/22 while conducting a VUZU Party,” the police said in brief statement on Twitter
Vuzu parties are common in Bulawayo. The indoor secretive gatherings are mostly held by teenagers without adult supervision, Beer drinking, drugs and sex are part of the scene.
“Some whisky, cigarette stubs, used and unused condoms were recovered at the scene,” the police said in their statement.
Vuzu parties have been singled as a drivers of STI infections, unwanted pregnancies and substance abuse among young people.
A study entitled ‘Exploring the practice of Vuzus among young people in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe conducted by Aids Healthcare Foundation (AFH) in partnership with Grassroot Soccer and released in 2021 revealed that vuzu parties are a complex ecosystem with room for abuse, especially for females.
122 young people aged between 15 and 24 from different areas in Bulawayo took part in the study. The 77 females and 45 were males revealed that some are drawn to vuzu parties for social media capital.
They also revealed that older men often sponsor the parties and or offer venues in order to capitalise on the young female bodies on offer.
At a vuzu party engagement forum organised by the Junior Chamber International (JCI), Bulawayo Progressive Residents’ Association (BPRA) and the Better Men Foundation, a young man revealed that some vuzu parties can get extreme with sex races with prizes for the most sexually promiscuous youths.
“It’s a race and you have to prove a point. Two people, a boy and a girl who manage to sleep with at least 10 partners during that night are given the royal crown,” said the young man.
Participants in the 2021 study said that during sex marathons, condoms are not used.
Parental supervision and oversight have been singled as the most important factors in reducing vuzu party prevalence and attendance.
Police have not said that they will release further details on the arrests as investigations progress.
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