THE Midlands State University (MSU) has banned a range of cosmetics, ball point pens, cameras and other objects at its upcoming graduation ceremony, as part of new security measures following an embarrassing incident where President Robert Mugabe was ambushed by placard-waving graduands at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) last year.
BY Stephen Chadenga
The UZ graduands were protesting against government’s failure to resolve the country’s high unemployment crisis. Mugabe, as chancellor of all State universities, is expected to officiate at the graduation ceremony scheduled for November 24. “Please note that the following items will not be allowed into the graduation venue; lipsticks, sharp objects, knives, ball point pens, perfumes and cameras,” MSU said in a notice yesterday.
This is the second time such items have been banned from the ceremony at the learning institution.
Last year, MSU graduands and their parents, who had not been served with a prior notice, were subjected to rigorous body searches by State security agents with a range of cosmetics, hair comps, toilet paper and earphones were seized by members of the police, who were manning the venue entrances.
In November last year, students at the National University of Science and Technology and journalists covering the graduation ceremony also had their pens confiscated by State security agents.
