News / National
UZ authorities defy high court order to re-admit students into halls of residence
30 Jun 2017 at 15:39hrs | Views
HUMAN rights lawyers are considering instituting contempt of court proceedings against University of Zimbabwe (UZ) authorities and seeking the imprisonment of the institution's Vice-Chancellor Levi Nyagura for failing to comply with a High Court order to admit some medical students into their halls of residence.
High Court Judge Justice Nyaradzo Munangati-Manongwa on Wednesday 28 June 2017 ordered UZ authorities to allow students from the UZ's College of Health Sciences to return to halls of residence after they were evicted from their dwellings for allegedly protesting against the arbitrary hiking of fees.
Justice Mungangati-Manongwa granted the order after Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR)'s lawyers Bellinda Chinowawa and Noble Chinhanu on behalf of some UZ medical students filed an urgent chamber application on Tuesday 27 June 2017 seeking an order to overturn the university's arbitrary decision to evict them from their halls of residence.
The High Court Judge barred UZ authorities from evicting medical students from halls of residence on and off campus and to permit the students who had already vacated the rooms in the halls of residence to return and re-occupy their rooms, with immediate effect.
However, UZ authorities failed to comply with the court order and campus security actively prevented medical students from re-entering their halls of residence stating that they had not yet received a directive that students should be allowed back into residence.
In a letter written to Nyagura by Chinowawa, the human rights lawyer protested against the conduct of the UZ authorities and warned that it constitutes contempt of court as well as every employee of the university, who has in some way participated in the failure to comply with the court order.
Chinowawa said failure by UZ authorities to allow medical students to re-enter their halls of residence, would leave ZLHR with no option but to institute contempt of court proceedings against Nyagura in his personal capacity and seeking his imprisonment.
High Court Judge Justice Nyaradzo Munangati-Manongwa on Wednesday 28 June 2017 ordered UZ authorities to allow students from the UZ's College of Health Sciences to return to halls of residence after they were evicted from their dwellings for allegedly protesting against the arbitrary hiking of fees.
Justice Mungangati-Manongwa granted the order after Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR)'s lawyers Bellinda Chinowawa and Noble Chinhanu on behalf of some UZ medical students filed an urgent chamber application on Tuesday 27 June 2017 seeking an order to overturn the university's arbitrary decision to evict them from their halls of residence.
The High Court Judge barred UZ authorities from evicting medical students from halls of residence on and off campus and to permit the students who had already vacated the rooms in the halls of residence to return and re-occupy their rooms, with immediate effect.
However, UZ authorities failed to comply with the court order and campus security actively prevented medical students from re-entering their halls of residence stating that they had not yet received a directive that students should be allowed back into residence.
In a letter written to Nyagura by Chinowawa, the human rights lawyer protested against the conduct of the UZ authorities and warned that it constitutes contempt of court as well as every employee of the university, who has in some way participated in the failure to comply with the court order.
Chinowawa said failure by UZ authorities to allow medical students to re-enter their halls of residence, would leave ZLHR with no option but to institute contempt of court proceedings against Nyagura in his personal capacity and seeking his imprisonment.
Source - Byo24News
