6 UZ students arrested for protesting over lecturers' strike

Six University of Zimbabwe (UZ) students were arrested on Monday afternoon after staging a flash protest demanding urgent action to resolve a protracted lecturers' strike that has crippled academic activity at the institution.

The lecturers have been on industrial action for over a month, pressing for salary increases and better working conditions. Their absence from classrooms has disrupted the academic calendar, with students now protesting the university's decision to proceed with end-of-semester examinations despite the lack of teaching.

The demonstration was quickly thwarted by UZ security personnel, who apprehended the students and handed them over to the police. The six - Narshon Kohlo, Tafadzwe Katsande, Blessing Mtis, Tawananyashe Hove, Nodesha Maingehama, and Tariro Mtukura - were taken to Avondale Police Station for questioning.

Narshon Kohlo, the Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) leader and UZ chairperson, said the situation at the university had become untenable and accused the institution's leadership of disregarding students' rights.

"We are here protesting against the University of Zimbabwe's Professor Paul Mapfumo and Munyaradzi Madambi, who are denying us our right to education," Kohlo said before his arrest. "We paid full tuition fees, and we expect learning services in return."

"In this block, we did not write exams because we did not have lectures. They are trying to act as if everything is normal when nothing is normal. It cannot be business as usual at the University of Zimbabwe until the lecturers are back," he added.

Lecturers at UZ are demanding that their salaries be pegged at US$2,250, which they say is in line with regional standards. They have also cited incapacitation, claiming they are being forced to use personal resources to fulfill their teaching obligations.

As part of their protest, lecturers have stopped attending meetings, invigilating exams, and marking scripts. Despite their withdrawal, the university last week announced that exams would proceed, drawing sharp criticism from both students and staff.

Kohlo urged the government and university authorities to act swiftly to resolve the impasse.

"The solution is very simple: pay our lecturers. Compensate them fairly. Pay them decent salaries and decent wages," he said.

It remains unclear what charges the arrested students will face, but student groups and rights activists are already calling for their immediate release and for authorities to prioritise dialogue over repression.

The standoff at UZ highlights the broader crisis in Zimbabwe's higher education sector, where underfunding and poor remuneration continue to fuel staff unrest and student dissatisfaction.