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ZINASU
3rd Bi-Annual Congress disrupted by arrests
Zimbabwe
National Students Union (ZINASU)
January
07, 2003
Dear Colleagues,
As state repression
against the defenceless citizens intensifies, the Zinasu 3rd Bi-Annual
Congress has been aborted. The Union leaders were picked up by about
forty heavily armed police.
The arrested
leaders are:
- Nkululeko
Sibanda (President)
- Itai Zimunya
(Vice-President)
- Phillip Pasirayi
(Information and Publicity Secretary)
- Danford Damba
(UZ SRC president)
- Collin Mapfumo
(UZ SRC Properties Secretary)
- Victor Chimhutu
(Uz Students Union member)
- Mathias Basera
(Former UZ Union member)
- Tapera Kapuya
(Former Secretary-General UZ )
- Madock Chivasa
(Former Treasurer Uz Students Union)
- Brighton
Makunike (UZ union member) and the MDC UZ Students branch chairman.
We wish to bring
to your attention that Basera is still being held in the cells and
has been transfered to Mbare police station. The student leaders
were charged under the draconian piece of legislation, the Public
Order and Security Act (POSA) on allegations that their action was
likely to cause breach of peace and order.
The pathetic
conditions to which the arrested leaders were exposed at Norton
police should be cause for concern for all those in the fight for
human rights. The police cells at Norton are unlit with lice infested
blankets and prisoners do not get food.
The police must
be condemned outright. The Zinasu Congress was an internal professional
meeting for the students and it was at the discretion of Zinasu
leaders as to who to invite or not. We know for sure that police
action was prompted by the fact that we had invited Dr Lovemore
Madhuku, the National Constitutional Assembly Chairman and Mr Morgan
Tsvangirai, the MDC President to address students.
We are also
aware that police action was prompted by the fact the we had barred
a group of Zanu PF students from attending Congress on the basis
that they wanted to get into Zinasu leadership positions such that
the union parrots the Zanu Pf line. Zinasu shall continue to pursue
a non-partisan agenda. We shall not allow the union to be used by
some elements to pursue thier own political agendas.
It is on this
basis that we are going to reconvene soon for an Extra-Ordinary
Congress to elect a new leadership that is prepared to fight for
the students’ grievances.
In the fight
for academic autonomy.
Phillip Pasirayi
Information
and Publicity Secretary
Visit the ZINASU
fact sheet
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