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Harare Polytechnic College cancels a student's workshop
Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) (Mugwadi)
April 05, 2010

The Principal of Harare Polytechnic College, Steven Raza has unilaterally cancelled a student's workshop. The leadership workshop which was organised by the Library and Information department was scheduled to have started last week ending this week. Over hundred and fifty students had paid to attend the workshop and they are now worried if the corrupt Raza administration will refund them.

Harare Polytechnic College has been blemished by a string of corruption and serious acts of student's rights violations since the inception of the Steven Raza administration. In 2009 the Comptroller and Auditor General released a report showing that Raza could not account for over US$900, which he had used to purchase a Chrysler vehicle from South Africa for his friends in minister Mudenge's office. In the same report Raza could not account for another US$600 worth of fuel coupons he donated to Minister Mudenge's office. During the 2008 elections Raza used college resources both physical and human including students to produce scorch karts for ZANU-PF. End of last 2009 one of Raza's right hand man Mr Dhliwayo who is also the head of the business department faced allegations of re-writing a National and Strategic Studies paper for a female student believed to be Raza's relative.

All this transpired at a time when students were being served with meals prepared without cooking oil and consumed without salt. Ablution facilities were semi functioning with four levelled hostels operating with only one semi functioning toilet cleaned by students without any protective clothing or disinfectants.

In order to conceal this vile kind of administration Raza has been denying the students of Harare Polytechnic College the right to a Student Representative Council for five years now. All voices of dissent are met with serious intimidation and harassment. Last year three lecturers were suspended merely for creating a college workers committee and that explains how much Raza is resents the right to representation of both the students and staff.

ZINASU stands shoulder to shoulder with the oppressed students and staff of Harare Polytechnic College whose right to representation has been muzzled for years by a group of recidivists who are bent on milking the strength of Zimbabwe inspite of the realities of the inclusive government. We therefore urge the students to prepare for a cold winter of resistance against oppression and we demand that Raza be brought to book for swindling college resources. ZINASU shall take legal action to ensure that this term the students of Harare polytechnic College enjoy the right to representation.

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