Police evicting University of Zimbabwe students

By Violet Gonda
9 July 2007

Six student leaders were arrested whilst more than 500 resident students were beaten by police following protests by University of Zimbabwe students on Saturday. The demonstrations were over the authorities' decision to increase fees for the resident students by Z$1million, payable last Friday.

UZ Student Representative Council Secretary General Kudakwashe Mapundu said the union had called for a general meeting on Saturday to discuss the issue of the top of fees when riot police descended on the gathering and started beating up people. He said 17 vehicles and three buildings, including a dining hall, were badly damaged in the disturbances. The riot police were still evicting resident students on campus on Monday.

Our correspondent Simon Muchemwa said most hostels had their doors destroyed as police pounced on every student on sight.

Some of the students who spoke on condition of anonymity said heavily armed riot police with dogs used force to crash the union meeting Saturday, resulting in scores of students being injured. Muchemwa said some of the injured are receiving treatment at Parirenyatwa hospital.

Some of the student representatives are said to have gone into hiding. The students refuse to pay the top up fees introduced last week, arguing the semester was extended by 7 weeks because of a strike by lecturers, and yet government was making them meet the financial consequences of its own incompetence.