Arrested students dumped in game reserve

By Lance Guma
23 January 2007

Police vindictiveness in Zimbabwe took on a new form last week Friday when law enforcements agents dumped 10 student leaders near the Matopos national park, two days after arresting them for holding a meeting in Bulawayo. The national park, home to the famous balancing rocks and Cecil John Rhodes’ grave is 50km outside Bulawayo. According to Promise Mkwananzi the president of the Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) they spent 2 days in custody with no charges being placed.

On Friday the group thought they were being transferred from Mzilikazi to a police station outside Bulawayo only to realise the officers wanted to leave them stranded in the bush and away from any form of transport. They were left by the disused old Gwanda road and say the police knew very well no vehicles travelled the road. It took until Saturday evening for the students to get back to Bulawayo after walking through bush inhabited by lion and leopard. Mkwananzi told Newsreel they were deliberately abandoned so as to expose them to the dangers these wild animals posed. Although they walked for the greater part of the 50km, he says a well-wisher driving a tractor gave them a lift towards the city.

The ten student leaders were drawn from universities and colleges around the country and were picked up while addressing students at the United College of Education in Bulawayo. Prior to the arrest Mkwananzi had been in hiding following police threats that he was on their wanted list. He had attracted police attention by addressing meetings around the country calling for student demonstrations.

Others arrested include Gladys Mukubvu, Blessing Vava (Bulawayo Polytechnic), Zwelithini Viki (University of Zimbabwe), Tafadzwa Chengewa (Hillside Teachers College), Clever Bere, Jonathan Magabathela (National University of Science and Technology), Emmanuel Nyoni (UCE), Beloved Chiweshe and Melward Makwenjere from ZINASU.

The students are locked in a dispute with government over what they consider to be unreasonable tuition fee increases. Government hiked fees by between 300 and 2000 percent while maintaining the same level of grant allowances for the students.