Students torn between Tsvangirai and Biti

Zimbabwe National Students Union is, like other civil society groups caught between Morgan Tsvangirai and Tendai Biti.

The Zinasu president Gilbert Mutubuki has gone along with Biti but his colleagues are still backing the former PM with the secretary-general Obey Sithole rebuking Mutubuki saying Zinasu is not affiliated to any political party.

Some Zinasu elements have dismissed pronouncements by its president, Gilbert Mutubuki, calling for Tsvangirai to step down and supporting the Biti Renewal Team's call for leadership and organizational transformation, as an "individual position which does not even have a buy-in from the Union," and that "Zinasu is bigger than individuals."

Mutubuki who is apparently singing from the same hymn with Biti also called for a grand coalition that will unseat Mugabe in 2018, further proffering that "it's time to part ways (with MDC) and start a fresh political ground for the students."

However Mutubuki's sentiments were brushed off by Zinasu's secretary general, Obey Sithole. "We wish to make it crystal clear that the statement (by Mutubuki) is not only a misrepresentation of facts but an MDC Team Renewal project that is meant to cause confusion and cause a rift between the MDC and Zinasu," Sithole told the Zimbabwean. Sthole also put it on record that Zinasu is an independent organization which is not linked to any political party, but a progressive movement that represents students from all walks of life, regardless of their political affiliations.

"Zinasu is a parent body to the MDC and that's the basis of our relationship. As a parent organization, we will continuously pride ourselves for nurturing a resurgent movement like MDC, which has managed to destroy the pillars of dictatorship for more than a decade. We will continue to be married to each other ideologically, despite other challenges that the party has faced over the years," said Sthole.

Mutubuki, who did not have kind word for Tsvangirai also joined the MDC Renewal Team's blame on Tsvangirai for losing the 2013 lections, saying that he was busy "chasing after city girls like a post puberty boy, instead of fighting the democratic struggle," and "a philosophy of poverty if not poverty of philosophy of Morgan Tsvangirai who relaxed in the comfort of the GNU, forgetting the mandate upon him."

However, Sthole argued that "the renewal team which purports to be broad based in orientation while blaming Tsvangirai for the July electoral fraud must understand that they were part of the team thus they can't be exonerated from the blame."

"As Zinasu we will continue with our traditional way of fighting for students' rights, thus there is not new political trajectory to talk about, as reported in the statement… our relationship with MDC is premised on fighting dictatorship which has resulted in the suffering of students and has robbed them of their right to education," said Sthole.

"We are an enlightened Union that opposes puppetry and as such we will never at any moment be involved in the so called grand coalition because we believe there will be neither grand nor coalition in it," he added.