Students agitate for clean-up of dirt in Mnangagwa's govt

Emmanuel Sitima, the president of the Zimbabwe National Students' Union (ZINASU), has called for a comprehensive overhaul of Zimbabwe's governance system, condemning it as riddled with corruption, mismanagement, and incompetence. Speaking during a national clean-up campaign in Harare's Copa Cabana area, Sitima asserted that cleansing the streets must be paralleled by purging the government of malfeasance.

Sitima criticized President Emmerson Mnangagwa's administration for alleged financial misappropriation, highlighting the controversial US$87 million goat scheme awarded to individuals associated with Zanu-PF. He questioned the whereabouts of the goats and asserted that such funds could have been directed towards students' welfare instead.

The ZINASU leader emphasized the need to eradicate corruption and incompetence from government ranks, asserting that these practices hinder national progress. He specifically criticized Higher and Tertiary Education Minister Amon Murwira for failing to establish functional innovation hubs for students, despite accolades as the second-best performing minister.

Sitima pointed out that over 13,000 students at Madziwa and Nyadire teachers' colleges were supposed to benefit from misappropriated funds, which could have improved infrastructure and resources essential for learning. He highlighted the financial hardships faced by tertiary students, leading some to resort to prostitution due to insufficient government grants and support.

The union lamented the lack of financial resources claimed by the government to revive student grant programs, contrasting this with alleged widespread corruption in procurement deals, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sitima concluded by urging a systemic change to prioritize education and combat corruption for the benefit of Zimbabwean students and society at large.