(Apologies for the light blogging these past two weeks...more regular posting in the weeks to come)
The University of Zimbabwe (UZ) opened its doors on Monday for the new academic year while there still has been no resolution to the plight of the thousands of students who were evicted from university housing during the last exam period. Student activists estimate that between 4,000 and 5,600 students were affected. The Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU), in a report issued last week (“It’s Politics Stupid: A Report on the Mass Evictions of resident Students at the University of Zimbabwe, July 2007.”) stated that hundreds of students were injured when the vice-chancellor of the university, Levy Nyagura, sent riot police in on July 9th to evict the students, charging that they had destroyed university property on the 3rd and 7th of July during student demonstrations against tuition increases. Student leaders charge that the government has targeted students as a part of a political strategy to demobilize and disperse their forces. Not only are these students out of a place to live, but they no longer have an affordable option for food since all dining halls were also shut down; many of the students formerly housed on campus come from comparatively poor families, have no relatives in Harare, and therefore have few alternative options to cover lodging and food expenses. Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) has brought a court case against the vice-chancellor, charging unlawful eviction but there has been no redress to date. Student leaders predict that there could be further unrest and clashes with authorities if the problem is not resolved.
