Students dumps Tsvangirai

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

Zinasu has finally ditched Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC-T saying they do not understand the way the party operates.

Zinasu president Gilbert Mutubuki, has gone along with Biti after the MDC split, but at the same time his colleagues feel the historical pull of Tsvangirai's long association with Zinasu and continue to back the former premier.

In an open letter to Tsvangirai, Zinasu president Gilbert Mutubuki said the students' body was an independent entity and not an appendage of MDC-T.

"It is an unnegotiable demand and uncomprisable fact that Zinasu is an independent entity and your party must know its constitutional boundaries. This has created a wrong view that seems to have found solid residence in the mentality of your supporters as well as Tsvangirai himself," Mutubuki wrote.

"Over the years, they used students furthering their agendas and as students we are saying we are not part and parcel of MDC and we cannot be controlled by MDC this time. We will not allow the devil to run away with the Bible from us."

Zinasu took a swipe at Tsvangirai saying no matter how many times he sent thugs to interrupt their meetings, they would not pay allegiance to him and his party as their role was to work for Zimbabwean students.

This comes after a Zinasu meeting turned nasty last Wednesday after students and the union's leadership were involved in a brawl over students' welfare.

The incident took place after students accused the union leaders of convening a meeting at the Media Centre in the capital without having agreed on the agenda and for trying to use the gathering to campaign for the MDC Renewal Team.

The students accused Zinasu leader Gilbert Mutubuki and his team of calling for a meeting to discuss the "current economic situation in the country" at the expense of pressing problems facing students in the country's institutions of higher learning.

Mutubuki, who quickly fled the scene, was being accused of trying to align all students to the Tendai Biti-led MDC Renewal Team.

"We wanted to hold a meeting to discuss the current economic situation in the country, but it was disrupted after sharp differences between students and the Mutubuki - led union emerged," said Zinasu secretary-general Tererai Sithole.

He said students accused Mutubuki of "personalising" the union and trying to turn it into an organ of the MDC Renewal Team.

"He called for a meeting without our consent and the agenda of the meeting was not meant in any way to address students' issues," Sithole said.

"Tendai Biti is causing divisions within our union and this has hampered efforts to address student issues."

Mutubuki could not be reached for comment.