Students association cut ties with MDC

A little known students body,  Amalgamated Students Association of Zimbabwe (ASAZ) has immediate effect withdrawn its membership with the troubled Welshman Ncube led MDC.

ASAZ said among a host of reasons, MDC no longer bears the hopes and aspirations of students.

Below is the ASAZ full statement obtained by Bulawayo24.com;

The Amalgamated Students Association of Zimbabwe (ASAZ) wishes to notify the generality of students affiliated to it that the General Council on this day decided to cut all the moral, solidarity and friendship that we were sharing with the MDC. ASAZ is a students body currently with a membership of 8000 registered students from 13 state institutions and many private colleges.

The MDC of late is on a free fall characterised by internal purges and many aspects that are divorced from the reasons for the creation of our relationship. We noticed since time immemorial the party never attended fully to the students issues. The students from the 13 state institutions wishes to place it on record that there was barely any formal communication between the party and ASAZ for a long time now. The party held a number of programmes where we were never allowed to give solidarity speeches or address any students matters.

Also a lack of vision, clear action plan and zeal to become a government is another reason raised by the students leaders. The MDC nolonger bears the hopes and aspirations of students. The party never took part or supported us when our leaders were expelled and suspended let alone those who were arrested. This has proved that the relationship between the organisations is only one sided where the party only expects the student organisation to woo votes for them.

As ASAZ, we will be comfortable to work with a democratic institution that uphold and supports the real democratic discourse. The time for students to continue working with opportunistic political grasshoppers is over. We want Ordinance 30 renounced, we want grants and loans, we want academic freedoms, we want improvement of academic infrastructure, we want a responsible leadership that address pertinent issues in the academic sector and we will only affiliate with those prepared to address such. So this letter serves to confirm the cutting of relations between ASAZ and MDC.

ASAZ INTERIM NATIONAL SECRETARY
GENERAL
TIMOTHY MANDIVAMBA