Parliament steps in as UZ lecturers' strike reaches day 59

Zimbabwe's Parliament has intervened in the protracted University of Zimbabwe (UZ) lecturers' strike, which has now entered its 59th day, with students stranded and academic operations at a virtual standstill.

Raising the matter in the National Assembly on Tuesday, Mpopoma-Mzilikazi legislator Charles Moyo appealed to the Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Mudenda, to compel Higher and Tertiary Education Minister Fredrick Shava to address the crisis through a ministerial statement.

"Students and lecturers are not attending lectures. The newly recruited adjunct lecturers drawn from the streets are also not attending lectures. Dissertations are not being supervised, and exams are not being written," Moyo said.

He warned that the current semester risks becoming a complete write-off for students, citing a massive disruption in the academic calendar.

"There were demonstrations from the lecturers, yet other students are supposed to go for work-related learning. It seems this semester is a sheer waste of time to students as well as a loss of parents' hard-earned money," he added.

Moyo described the situation at the country's premier institution of higher learning as one of "chaos and uncertainty," pressing Parliament to demand answers from the relevant ministry.

"If it pleases you, Hon. Speaker Sir, I request the Hon. Minister of Higher Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development to come and give us a ministerial statement on the negotiations, deadlocks, or any practical policy interventions being considered to bring normalcy to our tertiary institution," Moyo pleaded.

In response, Speaker Mudenda said Parliament would alert Minister Shava to the request. "We will advise the Hon. Minister if he can make a Ministerial Statement on the situation," he said.

The UZ lecturers are demanding the restoration of their pre-2018 salaries, where a junior lecturer reportedly earned US$2,250 per month. Currently, they take home just around US$230 - a figure lecturers say is untenable given Zimbabwe's high cost of living.

Despite failed negotiations and limited engagement from authorities, the government has tried to plug the gap by hiring adjunct lecturers. However, Moyo claimed that even these replacements have not been attending classes, compounding the crisis.

The industrial action, now stretching into its third month, has drawn growing concern from students, parents, and education advocates, many of whom worry the standoff could irreparably harm the academic prospects of thousands of university students.

As pressure mounts, all eyes are now on the Higher and Tertiary Education Ministry for a possible resolution or intervention.