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Violence among students regrettable
Youth Forum
March 11, 2010

The Youth Forum condemns in the strongest sense the violence that has become rife among students from rival formations of the Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU), and takes it as a regrettable scourge to hit our pro-democratic movements in recent times. Violence of any nature cannot be condoned.

On Saturday (6 March), four executive members from the ZINASU formation led by Tafadzwa Mugwadi were assaulted at a memorial reception for Mai Susan Tsvangirai at the instigation of a rival faction led by Joshua Chinyere with the aid of MDC party youth. During the fracas, one executive member Archieford Mudzengi was seriously injured in the abdomen and groin area. As a result of the fact that no-one within the pro-democracy movement condemned this incident, the Mugwadi-led formation took the matter into their own hands and attacked the president and secretary-general of the rival formation, Grant Tabvurei and Joshua Chinyere on Tuesday (9 March) in a clearly retributive action, inflicting minor injuries to Tabvurei and his counterpart.

As the Youth Forum, we are fully aware of the divisions that have hit the students' movement and we are well cognizant of the fact that there are two formations of the Zimbabwe National Students Union. This is to the extent that we were invited to two congresses by both formations and we categorically made clear and re-iterated our call for unity of purpose even in the face of divergent opinions among students as we recognize tolerance as one of the fundamental tenets of a functional democracy. Despite the many reasons behind this violence that has hit our pro-democracy movement, it is unfortunate that it is coming at a time when all progressive Zimbabweans are advocating and working towards reforming the fabric of Zimbabwean society towards a more open and democratic society, premised on the respect of the human rights and fundamental freedoms. Such violence is a direct affront to answering one of the key questions we face as a nation; that of how to achieve genuine national healing, reconciliation and integration, in a nation that has witnessed some horrendous political violence in the past. It seems that the culture of violence perfected by Zanu PF over the years is fast becoming a cancer in our pro-democratic movement.

We implore the students' community to shun violence as a means of resolving conflict as this will only gift those who are opposed to the genuine democratic reform in Zimbabwe. We urge all the feuding students to embrace the notions of peace and tolerance to divergent views as these are tenets that the pro-democracy movement should always religiously follow. We also implore those in political authority particularly from the MDC to condemn such incidences of violence that occur from time to time in our communities and linked to political parties. The MDC should come out clear and condemn this violence as it is a negation of the struggle for a democratic Zimbabwe. This also serves as a call to all those who are fanning divisions and violence among students to stop this forthwith as this will only undermine a credible students' movement and will further negate Zimbabweans' quest for a democratic Zimbabwe.

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