Computer lab burnt as students react in fury to police brutality

By Violet Gonda
11 May 2006

Sporadic peaceful protests over crippling tuition fee hikes have broken out at state universities countrywide. At some schools they have gathered momentum but at Bindura University the protests have become a rebellion. On Monday 19 students were arrested after police brutally broke up peaceful protests by the students.

Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) President Promise Mkwananzi said two of the arrested are being denied medical treatment in remand prison despite suffering serious injuries. He said one of those brutality assaulted by police and state agents is ZINASU Secretary General Beloved Chiweshe who has a swollen head and another female student is said to have a broken jaw.

It’s reported that the detained students are being denied proper food, accesses to their lawyers and medical treatment.

On Wednesday night students reacted in fury to the police brutality, when they ran amok at the University and burnt down a computer lab destroying billions of dollars worth of equipment. During the riot 20 more students were arrested bringing the total to thirty-nine on Wednesday. By late Thursday it was reported the number of students detained had risen to 56.

Mkwananazi alleges that Minister Elliot Manyika instructed the security forces to use brutal force to clampdown on the students. He said, “We are also told that the Minister without portfolio, the political commissar of Zanu PF, Elliot Manyika is giving instructions to the police and we are asking him where he draws his mandate since he is not the Minister of Home Affairs, he is not the commissioner of police and he is not even the Attorney General.”

When asked how such confrontations like burning down a computer lab could help their cause? Mkwananzi responded, “If a government rebels against its own people the people rebel back. We are non violent… the government of the day has become violent, has denied us our right to meet and demonstrate peacefully… So we’ve got to resort to the measures which are available and basically follow those.”

He said the atmosphere at the institution is very tense. Riot police officers and youth militia are said to have camped there to intimidate the students. “Youth militia wearing ZANU PF t-shirts are singing and chanting ZANU PF slogans.”

Meanwhile, the 19 students who were arrested on Monday were remanded in custody to the 25th of May after they appeared in court on Thursday. They are currently at remand prison while the 20 who were arrested on Wednesday night are at Bindura police station.

The ZINASU president said two human rights lawyers, Alec Muchadehama and Andrew Makoni were forced to flee to Harare to seek a High Court order after they were threatened and harassed by state agents. Mkwananazi reports that the lawyers “fled for dear life” from Bindura to Harare after they were allegedly threatened by ZANU PF youths stationed at the police station and the court house.

Observers fear that if a compromise is not met soon the situation at Bindura University could easily lead to anarchy and the general destruction further a field.

We were not able to get a comment from state officials.