Back to Index

Students victimization continues
Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) (Chinyere)
March 02, 2010

Students Victimization Continues as two NUST Student leaders are seriously brutalized by State Agents

Two student leaders, Brian Mtisi and Joram Chikwadze from National University of Science and Technology were arrested on campus on Saturday, 27 February 2010. They were picked up around 7pm and taken to Bulawayo Central Police Station. The students were arrested after carrying out a student awareness programme on the need for students to fully and meaningfully participate in the constitution making process.

The student leaders were interrogated and accused of causing "disharmony and chaos" on campus, claiming that the students were not allowed to assemble and hold such gatherings on campus. They were finally released at 3am and had to walk back to campus.

On Monday, 1 March, the pair was again abducted from campus at around 11pm by an unidentified corolla car with four men in plain clothes. The students tried to resist but the four produced police identity cards and forcefully took them to an unidentified place where they were seriously assaulted with baton sticks and clenched fists, for close to two hours and later taken to the police station. Upon arriving at the Bulawayo Central Police Station they were charged with political nuisance and fined USD20 each.

They were released around 2:20 am and they could not walk properly as they had sustained serious injuries from the beatings. They managed to call the ZINASU Regional Officer, Melissa Ndlovu who assisted them in getting medical attention. Cde Chikwadze was bleeding through his mouth and the doctors reported that he lost a lot of blood. Cde Mtisi received deep cuts all over the body. They are currently admitted at a local hospital in Bulawayo.

A police report has since been filed and the ZINASU Legal and Social Welfare Secretary, Alec Tabe is planning a meeting with the two Home Affairs Ministers, Hon Giles Mutsekwa and Kembo Mohadi over the continued victimization of students by state apparatus.

The continued victimization of students in colleges, unaffordability of education, poor learning and teaching facilities and a whole lot of anomalies are pushing the students of Zimbabwe to fully and meaningfully contribute to the constitution making process so as to ensure that these problems are dealt with once and for all. The students need to hold the Government to account if it breaches any of the students' rights in the new constitution.

Student Representative Council Elections Update

Kwekwe Polytechnic College

Students from Kwekwe Polytechnic College will go to the polls tomorrow, 3 March 2010 to elect new SRC leadership. Aspiring candidates are busy campaigning and no cases of violence have been reported. The ZINASU Secretary General, Grant Tabvurei and the Spokesperson, Wisdom Mgagara are already at the college to show solidarity. The ZINASU leadership will conduct a leadership induction programme on Thursday with the new leadership. The exercise will inform the new leaders on what is expected of them from their different roles and responsibilities at the college.

Midlands State University (MSU)

Student Representative Council elections are expected at MSU this week and aspiring candidates have already started presenting their manifestos to the students. The college authorities are expected to announce the election date before end of day today. The ZINASU President, Joshua Chinyere, the Education and Research Secretary, Artwell Chidya and the Vice President, Georgina Sango are already on the ground to assist the candidates with the campaign.

The role of Student Representative Council in Universities is expected to channel student issues to the relevant authorities through the correct channels. The Council members also sit in the highest making decision board and are expected to highlight student issues and recommend solutions when such meeting are held.

Visit the ZINASU fact sheet

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP