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Zimbabwe
university evicts students following food riots
Agence
France-Presse (AFP)
July 10, 2007
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070709/wl_africa_afp/zimbabweeconomy
Thousands of students
were Monday evicted from Zimbabwe's main university campus after
they protested at the weekend against a decision to deny them food
for not paying their fees.
An AFP correspondent
witnessed students carrying suitcases and bags trekking out of the
University of
Zimbabwe campus following an ultimatum to "pack up and
leave in 20 minutes" while riot police watched. "We were
all taken by surprise this afternoon when we saw notices this afternoon
ordering us to leave the halls of residence within 20 minutes or
risk being beaten up by the police," said Chadwick Rugube,
a second-year commerce student.
The university authorities
ordered the students out of their dormitories after skirmishes on
Sunday between university security and students who were protesting
over a decision to deny them food for three days after they failed
to top-up their school fees.
"The authorities
decided to extend the semester after we lost time during a strike
by lecturers and said we should pay an extra one million dollars
(4,000 US dollars or nine US dollars on the black market),"
said Rugube.
"It's not our fault
that the lecturers went on strike and we were saying why should
we be made to pay. That's why we had demonstrations on Sunday evening."
The Zimbabwe
National Students' Union spokesman Benjamin Nyandoro said at
least 4,000 students were thrown out of their hostels.
He said the union had
filed an interdict at the high court and was urging students to
resist the evictions.
Authorities at the institution
could not be reached for comment.
Scores of students were
stranded beside their luggage by roadsides.
"The majority of
those who stay on campus have no homes, friends or relatives in
Harare so they are going to sleep in the open," Nyandoro said.
"It just
shows how heartless the authorities are. Some of us are starting
examinations next week and this is going to affect us psychologically."
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