UZ suspends 6 students over Ordinance 30

The University of Zimbabwe (UZ) has suspended six student activists for staging a campus demonstration in support of striking lecturers, further escalating tensions between university authorities and the academic community.

The suspended students - Narshon Kohlo, Blessing Mtisi, Nodesha Maingehama, Tafadzwa Katsande, Tawana Hove, and Tariro Mtukura - are all members of the Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU), UZ Chapter. They held a flash protest on campus in May, calling for the university to urgently address the grievances of lecturers who have been on strike since April 16.

In individual suspension letters issued by Vice Chancellor Professor Paul Mapfumo, the university cited the "seriousness of the allegations" as grounds for immediate and indefinite suspensions, pending disciplinary hearings.

"Accordingly and in light of the seriousness of the allegations detailed above, I have found it necessary, in terms of Section 8(3)(e) of the University of Zimbabwe Act [Chapter 25:16], to suspend you, with immediate effect, from your studies at the University of Zimbabwe indefinitely, pending a disciplinary hearing," the letters state.

The students have also been barred from entering any university premises and instructed to surrender their student identification cards to the Director of Asset Protection Services.

The disciplinary hearings are scheduled to take place next week.

The suspensions come amid growing unrest at the university, where lecturers are demanding significant wage adjustments - from a current average salary of US$250 to US$2,250 - as well as better working conditions. Their industrial action, now entering its third month, has disrupted learning and triggered rising discontent among students.

Just two weeks ago, the UZ administration dismissed four leaders of the lecturers' strike following disciplinary proceedings. The university accused them of using the campus's Great Hall for meetings without official permission.

Critics, including student rights groups and labour activists, have accused the UZ administration of authoritarian tactics and repression of academic and student freedoms. ZINASU has condemned the suspensions, calling them a "crackdown on student voices and a desperate attempt to intimidate dissent."

A spokesperson for ZINASU said: "The students were acting in solidarity with their lecturers - fighting for a dignified education system. Instead of addressing the real issues, the administration has chosen to silence those speaking out."

As the crisis deepens, pressure is mounting on the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education to intervene and facilitate dialogue between university management, staff, and students to restore normalcy at Zimbabwe's oldest institution of higher learning.