Does pious ZEGU restrict the right to freedom of expression?

Zimbabwean student Natasha Chipudya quit law studies at the church-run Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University (ZEGU) in May 2024 after attending lectures for fewer than three months as she felt that the university’s dress code oppressed women.

Aged 20 at the time, Chipudya moved to enrol at the public University of Zimbabwe where she started lectures in September.

ZEGU was established in May 2012 by the late Professor Ezekiel Handinawangu Guti, who also founded the Zimbabwe Assemblies of God Africa Forward in Faith (ZAOGA FIF) church. Guti, who was the university’s chancellor, died in July last year. He was 100 years old.

Dignity and good taste

In September 2021, the university introduced a dress code that bars female students from wearing miniskirts and other clothing that authorities deem inappropriate.

At the time, University World News reported that the office of the registrar had notified students that they should wear dignified clothing that expressed “our God-given ability to appreciate beauty, creativity, harmony and good taste”.

“We want to remind all students that ZEGU encourages students to develop a lasting philosophy of good dressing and grooming; therefore, take care of the following principle:

“Tight clothing (skin tights, legging), cut-off or miniskirts (anything more than 5cm above the knees), shorts, slippers, tops that reveal cleavages, backouts, crop-tops or stomach-outs, bandeaus, see-throughs and other kinds of inappropriate clothing are not allowed on campus (especially in classes and church services) and other university-related off-campus functions. Lecturers can bar students from attending lectures if they are not dressed appropriately,” read the registrar’s notice.

Sexual stereotyping

It is this dress code that turned Chipudya away from the university in May this year.

“I decided to leave ZEGU. I don’t really wear revealing clothes, but I can’t be dress monitored from 6am while the boys have their freedom. I just applied at the University of Zimbabwe under normal entry and left ZEGU mid-May. I was at ZEGU for two-and-a-half months,” she said.

“For me, the dress code is an attack on women at ZEGU as it emphases no shorts, crop tops and revealing clothes. The code of conduct is overemphasised and when you are caught on the wrong side of ‘the law’ then verbal harassment is often a tool for reprimanding your way of dressing.”

Chipudya said university authorities say women wear more revealing clothes than men, and she views this as promoting sexual stereotypes and discrimination.

More prominent issues

She was “harassed” over the issue of dress code on her first day on campus, she said, something that had not happened at her Catholic high.

“The girls’ hostel is guarded 24/7 and, on my first day, the guard on night shift reprimanded my outfit rudely, saying I am at a church institution, not a public institution. I went to school at a Catholic institution, but I never felt out of place the way I felt at ZEGU. The guard only stopped [the tirade] when one of the hostel staff defended me, saying we weren’t oriented yet, so it was clear I didn’t know. I was wearing shorts, not even truly short.”

Chipudya said university staff are always on the lookout for offenders, prioritising that rather than addressing issues affecting all students such as erratic water supply and provision of backup electricity.

The law student said indoor water sources are programmed for availability only at certain hours. Women cannot go out to access the outside tap late into the night.

She said that, during the day, there is often no electricity at the university and students are forced to crowd into the learning area for internet connectivity.

Men not affected

Another female student at the university, who requested to speak on condition of anonymity, said she has no regrets about being at the church-run institution, but wishes that some of the dress code requirements could be changed.

She said some of her fellow students believe the dress code suppresses their freedom of expression.

“l was wearing ripped jeans, and they said it was not decent. It can be degrading, as the remarks are made with people around. Boys are not affected by the issue of dress code,” she added.

Tinotenda Nigel Chigande, ZEGU’s students’ representative council member until the end of 2024, said male students enjoy relative freedom regarding the dress code. He said there was a need for dialogue with university authorities to attend to the concerns of women students.

Rules beneficial

“I don’t think male students are affected by dress code policies at ZEGU, although some may feel oppressed when restricted from wearing hats indoors or receive advice from lecturers on their dress style and hairstyles. I believe this feedback is constructive and contributes to building a well-rounded individual.

“This guidance will benefit them in their future endeavours. Regarding ripped jeans, male students wear them freely across campus, and I’m unaware of any instances where they were prohibited from doing so, except perhaps in lecture settings, depending on the lecturer’s preferences, especially during presentations,” he said.

Pyjamas at interview?

When the university introduced the dress code three years ago, people such as Zimbabwean columnist Reason Wafawarova supported it. In an opinion piece carried by online media, Wafawarova said there was nothing wrong with a dress code as universities were “not strip clubs”.

“Every dressing is legal and acceptable in its context. Individuals are free to purchase gym clothes, soccer attire, miniskirts, denims, suits, dresses, pyjamas, overalls, work suits … However, it is as inappropriate to attend an interview for any executive job in your pyjamas as it is to attend lectures in a night club or dinner miniskirt,” he wrote.

Equal opportunities

In an interview with University World News at the time, a leading Zimbabwean human rights lawyer, Alec Muchadehama, said that, when a university is given a charter, it is assumed it is an equal opportunities university, admitting students without discrimination. He dismissed claims that ‘inappropriate’ clothing may disturb others on campus.

“It’s a male chauvinistic way of approaching how women should conduct themselves in public. If we follow that, we will end up like Afghanistan where they say women should not drive, should not go to school, and should wear things that cover their faces and legs in public. That is too backward. It should never be allowed in a democratic society,” Muchadehama said.

“No one is affected if a woman wears what she wants. Where is the survey, where are the statistics, where is the science? Is that scientific? We want things that are scientifically proven; scientifically sound. We don’t want things that are not science-based, that are simply thrown in a circular,” he said.