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Mudenge: Hypocrite of the first pedigree
Trevor
Murai, Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU)
January 12, 2007
It was with ululations,
roars of applause and relief hearing the minister-s remarks
to the effect that students of tertiary education institutions will
not be sent off on the basis of not paying fees. The minister of
Higher and tertiary education is on record for tenaciously defending
this position but reality on the ground dismisses his remarks as
pure empty rhetoric. The increase in college dropouts are screaming
evidence that students are being systematically forced out of colleges.
Mudenge is fully aware; we presume, that students at the University
of Zimbabwe could not access their 2005-2006 academic year second
semester results without full payment of tuition and accommodation
fees for that particular semester.
The minister should be
advised to take a closer surveillance on tertiary institutions as
their actions and operations reduce him to a cheap political propagandist.
The 2006 February once off hikes in the history of this country
was beyond the reach of many parents and guardians. Parents and
guardians had to sacrifice their servings, beasts and properties
to pay the hiked fees. This is not sustainable; parents can not
continue to lose their accumulated wealth in vain for college students
whilst the job market is shrinking at an alarming alacrity. Unemployment
levels are at 80%. There are no jobs for college graduates. One
wonders how the graduates will replace the wealth of parents that
is being depleted in pursuit of their education.
The situation
is worse off for the coming semester. We are incensed and anguished
with the neglect by Mudenge-s ministry of its responsibilities
to subsidize operations at tertiary education institutions. Total
fees payable at the University of Zimbabwe range from $590 000 to
$650 000. Good heavens only in 2004 we were given payouts and free
catering services. Where did the wheels come off Mudenge?
The Zimbabwe
National Students Union (ZINASU) registers here its abhorrence
and indignation due to the government insensitivity to the plight
of tertiary education students. We appeal that it is prudent and
vital at this juncture for the government to subsidize costs in
the departments of catering services. Institutions of higher learning
are not miraculous, and operating viably in this artificially created
hyper inflationary environment means that the institutions have
to pass on the burden to the students. In a sense the fees charged
make an economic sense and are a glaring evidence in as far as exposing
the failure and irresponsibility of the government of the government
to contain inflation.
The rate of
inflation juxtaposed with real incomes posits that the government
has no option but to subsidize its service delivery departments.
One wonders what is happening to the tax payer-s money from
the consolidated revenue fund. A quick economic marathon: the average
salary for the civil servants is estimated to be at $50 000, a family
of six is estimated to need $300 000 for it to buy groceries enough
for a month-the poverty datum line, already there is a deficit of
$250 00- yet tertiary fees are pegged at around $600 000. Can someone
tell us, where the fees supposed to come from? Surely you have to
be a thief or fraudster to survive in this country of ours.
ZESA employees
are on strike, junior doctors are on strike and towards closing
last year the UZ staff was on strike. ZINASU takes this opportunity
to give solidarity to all Zimbabweans engaging in industrial action.
Comrades we congratulate you for the brave stance you have taken,
none but yourselves shall champion your cause towards realization
of freedom from repression. For how long shall we be used as pillars
of shouldering ZANU(PF)-s blunders and failures .Had the brains
of think-tank and old folks in ZANU(PF) gone on a decade vacation
to implement policies that has led to the stinking economic hegemony.
ZINASU castigates
and denounce the use of state reactionary missionary to wipe away
symptoms of the economic sewage that ZANU (PF) has created. We demand
the right of the freedom of expression and association for all Zimbabweans-represented
by progressive bodies such as ZCTU,
ZINASU, NCA,
Crisis Coalition
and so on. We demand to be consulted in decision making to do with
us students. We will resist tenaciously and with savage vehemence
any attempts by the government to impose decisions, in which we
have a stake, without fully seeking our opinions.
It is foolhardy
for ZANU (PF) to expect us to sit and fold our arms or to shun us
away or to expel us and suspend us from colleges for seeking to
attain our destiny. This is our country, the youths, as much as
it is theirs, the old folks. Destiny is not a matter of chance but
of choice thus the old folks should not be hostile to us in an endeavor
to mould our own destiny. If the old folks were to take a sober
assessment, they will reckon that during their youth days they fought
nail and claw against the Smith regime so that they could influence
their own destiny i.e. their future. Surely is this the Zimbabwe
that the old folks fought for?
ZINASU is mandated
by the students movement; derived from up to 44 colleges to champion
and shape the Zimbabwe we want as future leaders, workers and ambassadors
of our beloved country. ZINASU is duty bound to act and no amount
of force, ZANU (PF) repression, strife, incarceration or frivolous
expulsions will ever curtail or barricade us. As the leaders of
the movement we follow the views of the majority of the students
as it is the basis of our authority. We have no illusions about
the barbaric, inhuman violence of the reactionary forces but us
the masses will never be ZANU (PF) defeated. Napoleon Bonaparte
won wars against many armies but the moment he fought the masses
he was defeated. No repression is immortal; the fate of Ian Smith,
Adam Hussein, Slobodan Milosevic, Juvenal Habyarimana and Adolf
Hitler may bear testimony to this.
We stubbornly demand
for academic freedom. Education is our birthright we stand resolute
forever to defend our beliefs.
*Trevor Murai
is the treasurer general at the student's union at the UZ.
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