Baba Jukwa link, student refused UZ student ID card

THE University of Zimbabwe (UZ) is allegedly refusing to issue a new student identify card to a student, recently implicated in the Baba Jukwa case, it has emerged.

Romeo Musemburi, a third-year economics student is facing charges of attempting to subvert a constitutional government, said his identify card got lost at the time of his arrest.

He was arrested on June 30 for allegedly authoring a subversive statement and posting it to the phantom Facebook character's Gmail account.

According to his lawyer Tonderai Bhatasara, the university appeared reluctant to provide Musemburi with a replacement card to enable him to fully access academic resources and other services.

Bhatasara said his client was being sent from one office to another with one of the officials at the university saying his issue was "too big for him".

"We are instructed as we hereby do to demand that our client be issued with a student ID card by end of business on Friday 25 July 2014," Bhatasara said in his letter to the registrar.

"If demand is not met, we will file an urgent chamber application at Court to protect the interests of our client."

"Our client is attending winter school at the moment, he has pending assignments and requires to access the library in order to adequately prepare in his studies. He is unable to access the library as he has no student ID."

Bhatasara said his client had approached officials in his department to have the student ID replaced, but was referred to another faculty.

"On Monday 21 our client was referred to the records office where he was then advised by the head of the Records Office that his case was published in the newspaper so he has to be cleared by a (Jonathan) Lieto," he said.

"So he attended at the office of the Acting Deputy Registrar Academic, Lieto. He did not see Lieto, but was advised by his office that his case was in the newspaper so he has to wait until the case is finished."

When NewsDay tried to contact him for comment, the registrar was said to be in a meeting while Lieto was out of the office.

Musemburi is out of custody on $100 bail.