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State intensifies crackdown on students
Student Solidarity Trust
June 06, 2008

Bulawayo Polytechnic suspended seven students on the 5th of June. The suspended students are SRC president Simba Kuzipa, Vice President Gregory Door, Secretary General, Desire Siyanata, Malvin Kadete, Tonderai Chiborise, Leopold Tapi and Donald Mazikana .Three students were later arrested after receiving their suspension letters. The detained students are Simba Kuzipa, Desire Siyanata and Malven Kadete. For almost three weeks now, the college is without clean running water. Almost all ablution facilities are out of order in the lecture rooms and hostels. In commerce division students report that both sexes are sharing a single toilet. Student leader Tonderai Chiborise alleges that they are now using a disused rugby pitch to relieve themselves. The suspended students are being accused of having breached statutory Instrument 81 of 1999, part 3 (7) (a) and (g). They are being suspended for 21days with effect from 5th June 2008 and have been made to vacate premises of Bulawayo Polytechnic are barred from entering the premises during the suspension period.

Harare

Monday 09 June
Police raided the offices of the faith based student movement the Students Christian Movement of Zimbabwe (SCMZ) arresting the secretary general Prosper Munatsi, Sandra Dvete (Office intern) and Precious Chinanda (Finance and Administration officer). Heavily armed police officers descended on 82 Central Avenue which houses SCMZ.Apart from the arrests they looted property ranging from laptops,computers, T-shirts and organizational documents. The four were released a day later and told to return the following day.

Bulawayo (Bulawayo Metropolitan Province)
Bulawayo Polytechnic Students Representative Council President, Simba Kuzipa, has been released. He was released today 9th of June 2008 by Tredgold magistrate court prosecutors who refused to prosecute and dismissed the case, during the initial set down stage on grounds of lack of merit and evidence. Kuzipa was arrested on the 5th of June 2008 on allegations of inciting violence together with student leaders Desire Siyanata and Malvin Kadete who were released on the 7th of June 2008 as the investigating officer established that they had no case to answer. All the three together with four others were also suspended from college pending hearing on the 25th of June 2008. The four are Donald Mazikana, Leopold Tapi, Gregory Door and Tonderai Chiborise.

Meanwhile two of the suspended students Door and Chiborise were picked today in the morning on the same allegations of inciting violence and are in police custody at Central Police Station. It is most likely that his case will crumble like those of his SRC fellow colleagues. Another student Wellington Machengo is said to be in need of a surgical operation after he was assaulted on his private parts by riot police.

The arbitrary arrests and detention of students has reached alarming rates in the run-up to the run-off election. The students and other stakeholders in the civic society are being accused by the Mugabe regime of supporting President Morgan Richard Tsvangirai. The accusation has led to the suspension of operating licenses of all Non-Governmental Organizations.

Bindura

Tuesday 10 June
In the early hours of the morning members of the central intelligence organization (CIO) raided the hostel room of Glanis Changachirere a Bindura University of Education student. Three men in dark glasses and very big jackets who said they were looking for T-Shirts belonging to Youth Forum, Crisis Coalition and Students Christian Movement ransacked her room before threatening her that she will die for Tsvangirai. Later in the afternoon the operatives were back picking Glanis who was reading in the university library. They also picked Tellington Kwashira, former ZINASU Education and Research Secretary, Clemence Sainet and Moses Chamisa. They are currently detained at the CID section at Bindura Central Police station.

Masvingo
Former University of Zimbabwe student leader Madock Chivasa yesterday appeared in Masvingo magistrate court facing charges of undermining police authority. His trial was postponed to 21 July due to the fact that the state fails to bring its witnesses. Great Zimbabwe University students' representative council (SRC) Treasurer Oglive Makova also appeared in the same court on routine remand hearing .He was further remanded to 24 June. Meanwhile Masvingo police arrested the ZINASU secretary for legal and academic affairs Courage Ngwarai at Masvingo magistrate yesterday. They allege that he has a warrant of arrest because he failed to appear in court on malicious damage to property charges.

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