UZ offers 'poverty wages' to stand-in lecturers

The University of Zimbabwe (UZ) has come under fire after offering what critics have branded as "poverty wages" to temporary lecturers hired to replace striking academic staff demanding better pay and conditions.

A letter signed by Simba Matsika, UZ's Administration Officer for Human Capital Management, confirms that adjunct lecturers are being contracted at rates as low as US$2.20 per hour, paid in the local Zimbabwe Gold (ZIG) currency. The appointments, described as a stopgap measure to resume lectures disrupted by a crippling strike, have sparked condemnation from academic unions and concern over the quality of education students will receive.

According to the offer letter, temporary staff will receive 60 percent of their hours at US$3.30 per hour and the remaining 40 percent at US$2.20 per hour — rates that include all duties, from preparing lectures to marking exams. The contracts, effective from May 20 to August 20, allow for termination with just two weeks' notice.

The move comes amid an ongoing legal strike by full-time lecturers who are demanding a monthly salary of US$2,250, up from their current wages which AUT says are below US$250 per month.
'Shameful Exploitation'

The Association of University Teachers (AUT), which represents the striking academics, slammed the administration's decision to hire replacement staff.

"Desperation meets despicability," the AUT said in a scathing statement Tuesday. "The VC Mapfumo Admin's contracts reveal systemic wage theft masked as employment… Professional dignity trampled for pennies."

AUT further alleged that the hiring of adjuncts during a lawful strike violates Section 108, Subsection 5 of Zimbabwe's Labour Act, which prohibits the replacement of employees engaged in protected industrial action.

Concerns have also been raised over the qualifications of the newly hired adjunct lecturers. According to AUT, "only 3 out of 10 hires hold a postgraduate qualification," and one recently received a PhD in divinity "just two weeks ago."
Return to Normalcy or Illusion?

Despite the tensions, the University's Student Representative Council (SRC) encouraged students to return to class, insisting normalcy had returned.

"As everything has resumed to normalcy, I urge you all to attend lectures in large numbers," said SRC president Tendayi Victor Mushayi. "We anticipate a surge of knowledge as business returns to normal."

The university appears determined to push ahead. An internal memo instructed departmental chairpersons to begin lectures on Wednesday and to submit the names of any lecturers willing to teach. Departments were also directed to liaise with the Human Capital Management Office to fill remaining teaching gaps.

But AUT dismissed the claim that academic operations are resuming, stating flatly that "no meaningful learning will resume until lecturers' demands are met."

The union has called for mass demonstrations at Freedom Square on Wednesday, following the suspension of earlier protests during a visit by SADC heads of state.

"We had shelved picketing out of respect," AUT said. "But the UZ administration has taken advantage of our reasonableness to provoke us."

Cracks in UZ's Academic Integrity

AUT also ridiculed the university's recently held Research and Innovation Week, calling it a "huge flop," and alleging that "only secretaries and security guards participated."

The union issued a final warning on social media:

"Let it be known: there are no classes that will start at UZ for as long as lecturers' demands are unmet."

As the standoff deepens, UZ now faces a growing backlash — not only from academics but also from alumni, labour groups, and concerned parents — over what many see as a collapse of both morale and standards at one of Zimbabwe's flagship institutions.