Two student leaders abducted in Bulawayo

By Lance Guma
29 May 2007

The Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) has released a statement saying two student leaders from the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) were abducted in Bulawayo Tuesday morning. SRC President Clever Bere and his deputy Mehluli Dube were allegedly taken by the university’s security chief, identified only as Banda, and detained in the campus control room for several hours. The students union says the two were then transferred to Bulawayo Central Police Station around 1pm in the afternoon. No further information was available at the time of going on air.

ZINASU say the two were already in hiding following demonstrations at NUST on the 10th May. During those protests at least 53 students were arrested. The situation on campus is said to be tense with students defiantly telling authorities they will continue to press on with their activism for better education and learning conditions. Government introduced what students consider to be unreasonable tuition fee increases and this has forced many students out of college. A deteriorating political and economic environment has also added its own woes for students trying to make ends meet.