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Statement on the Day of the African Child
Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) (Mugwadi)
June 16, 2010

The Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) joins the world and millions of students across the globe in the full name of active solidarity in commemorating the Anniversary of the Day of the African Child. On this historic day, the courageous black students in South Africa stood up to defend their identity in the face of an oppressive apartheid regime and its racial legislations such as the Afrikaans Decree of 1974 which purported to impose Afrikaans and English as languages of instruction in African Bantu schools created under the unpopular Bantu Education Act of 1953. Despite resistance by the young Sowetans, the then ruthless government proceeded with its intention, culminating into the popular uprising that came to be known as 'The Soweto Massacre' in 1976. This resulted in the death of bravery young men and women notably Hector Peterson.

ZINASU therefore gives respect and honor to those that stood up in defense of the African cause and most importantly, the ability of the African youth to organize themselves and fight repression in pursuit of their destiny. As we celebrate this day, ZINASU mourns the pathetic state of the young people in Zimbabwe and Africa as a whole in the face of a plethora of challenges manifesting in dictatorship and governance crisis in countries like Zimbabwe, Somalia, Madagascar, and Sudan among many others.

It is in this regard that ZINASU calls upon the government of Zimbabwe to begin to think about the future of the young people and students in particular, whose daily life has been turned into a torture base of hunger, unbearable toil and anxiety in the face of rampant unemployment nearing 80%, poverty and many other challenges.
Amidst all this crisis facing the youth in Zimbabwe and Africa as a whole ZINASU celebrate and salute the strength and resilient fighting spirit of the young people of Zimbabwe and the students, in a true revolutionary mood blended by class-consciousness and the determination to reinvigorate the people's struggle for the political, social and economic transformation of Zimbabwe that will usher in a free prospect of young people struggle for self determination.

The 2010 commemoration of the day of the African child also takes place at a time when the students are mourning the demise of the once vibrant education system in the country. The students in Zimbabwe continue to face multifaceted serious challenges that manifests in astronomical and restrictive tuition fees, brutality against students activists incessant closure of halls of residence by the University of Zimbabwe authorities, the arbitrary suspensions and expulsion of students' leaders and the general deterioration of the state of the whole sector.

The celebrations are also taking place at a time when the majority of the students at the, National University of Science Education, Midlands State University, Harare Poly, University of Zimbabwe and many others have been endangered of their future by being prohibited to sit for their end of semester examinations by the brutal and ruthless policies of the notorious Vice Chancellors.

The celebrations also come in the work of a stage-managed but doomed parliamentary driven process of constitutional reform which has undermined the students and fellow young people's call for a genuine people driven constitution reform process that underpins fundamental human rights, particularly the right to education. ZINASU will reject any outcome of this default process as it cannot be trusted as a guarantor of the right to education.
ZINASU urges the government of Zimbabwe to heed to the call of the suffering young people and take drastic and appropriate measures to address the plight of the students of Zimbabwe and fellow young people.

Finally, ZINASU wishes, the young people of Africa and African soccer teams a wonderful World Cup.

Visit the ZINASU fact sheet

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