The Zimbabwe National Students’ Union (Zinasu) has accused government of running the country like a “tuckshop” following the chaos that rocked the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) on Tuesday.
BY SILENCE CHARUMBIRA
In a statement, Zinasu said UZ and other State universities now resembled high schools with the quality of education further deteriorating despite the appointment of Oppah Muchinguri as the new Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development in December last year.
The students union said the demonstrations at UZ were a result of cumulative anger as a result of government neglect.
“This semester, students were forced to make once-off payments of extremely exorbitant fees averaging $700 in a decayed tuckshops economy that is largely backed by petty street vending which our irresponsible government has long declared illegal despite its failure to provide the millions of our able and well qualified citizens with jobs,” the students said.
The students blasted UZ Vice-Chancellor Levi Nyagura for irresponsible behaviour after giving the students an hour’s notice to vacate the university premises.
Zinasu said the practice was heartless as the exercise was carried out by the intimidating anti-riot police wielding batons and teargas accompanied by the infamous National Youth Service personnel nicknamed “Green Bombers”.
The students demanded that the university authorities refund them of the financial value for academic and catering services lost during the recess.
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Muchinguri yesterday issued a ministerial statement in Senate where she revealed that the disturbances at the nine State universities was caused by the non-payment of teaching and non teaching staff who have been receiving erratic payments for the past 10 months.
“This non-payment of February salaries fostered feelings of discrimination by government at universities, and may I emphasise that academic and non-academic staff were not on strike, but were incapacitated to report to duty due to financial constraints,” Muchinguri said.
“They could not report for duty on Tuesday and at UZ, some students were not served breakfast, causing them to be agitated and they rioted and stormed the Vice-Chancellor’s office demanding to be served and Nyagura responded by immediately closing the university until the 24th.”
Muchinguri said when she approached Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa about the non-payment of staff, she was told government was incapacitated.
She then took the matter to Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa who intervened and resolved the issue.
