ZIMBABWE: Heavy police presence on campuses

Students have complained about the imposition of a 'quasi-curfew' on campuses across Zimbabwe. Last week's heavy police presence at public universities was an apparent attempt by the government to control simmering student tensions due to unresolved grievances.

The president of the Zimbabwe National Students Union (Zinasu) Tafadzwa Mugwadi said that of the country's state-run higher education institutions, the worst affected by the police presence were the University of Zimbabwe, the National University of Science and Technology, Midlands State University and Harare Polytechnic.

With long-standing student grievances remaining unaddressed despite promises by the authorities to deal with them, student anger is mounting.

Mugwadi said that at the University of Zimbabwe, police have been posted at entrances and they roam the campus. The police have been demanding that students wear their student cards around their necks at all times.

According to Mugwadi, the government is aware that the students are 'naturally mobilised' after in-fighting in Zimbabwe's unity government saw the freezing of plans to introduce a student loan scheme, and failure to tackle a host of complaints.

High levels of poverty, with the majority of workers - civil servants - earning less than US$200 per month, mean that higher education remains beyond the reach of most in Zimbabwe. The union leader said the loan and grant scheme remained the "longest demand" of students.

"We know that what the government is doing is not accidental. The government is afraid of a possible Egypt-style revolution. They know that Zimbabwean students have the capacity to start a fire. Students are extremely angry and [are] naturally mobilised," Mugwadi said.

Student dissatisfaction has grown alongside government squabbling.

In October last year, University World News reported that Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai had met with students over their grievances and asked for a grace period to address them.

At the time, Tsvangirai promised "to push for a final redress" of numerous student concerns including re-introduction of the government loan and grant scheme; the immediate and unconditional reinstatement of all drop-outs, and suspended and expelled student activists; and an end to widespread victimisation of student activists.

He also pledged to look at the issue of better and sustainable remuneration for lecturers; upgrading the general welfare of students in all institutions; and the immediate opening of the halls of residence at the University of Zimbabwe. The only promise met was a salary review for lecturers, implemented in January this year.

Most of the student problems remain unaddressed and Mugwadi said all parties - President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF and Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) - were both to blame.

In December Finance Minister Tendai Biti, of the MDC, announced the reintroduction of students grants after they had been suspended for up to a year. But only a few weeks later Higher and Tertiary Education Minister Stan Mudenge (of Zanu-PF) announced the suspension of grants, saying the government had no money.

To underline the importance of the grants to the students, in February more than 60% of students at the National University of Science and Technology failed to register when the institution opened, due to failure to pay their tuition fees. The university authorities also instituted a punitive late registration fee of US$2 a day.

Responding to the plight of the students at that time, Zinasu said in a statement: "Even when Zimbabwe is rated first in terms of literacy in Africa, the world must know that literacy without professionalism and academic prowess is tantamount to illiteracy."

The heavy police presence on campuses and accusations of harassment of students come weeks after government arrested 45 people, among them University of Zimbabwe labour law lecturer Munyaradzi Gwisai, on accusations of plotting a revolt against the government, taking their cue from Egypt and Tunisia.

As previously reported, the accused, who are currently out on bail, denied the accusations and their lawyers contend their clients were arrested while participating in an academic debate.