Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) student leaders are mulling to stage a demonstration this week against the institution’s administration citing poor management and highly deplorable and inhabitable conditions.
Students who spoke to 263Chat said they have been subjected to pay high rentals while receiving poor service delivery.
“Rentals are skyrocketing. The paltry amounts we are receiving from our parents are not covering anything. Basic commodities are now expensive. A plate of sadza is now 3 dollars,” said Michael Zaranyika, a political science student at the institution and Acting President of Politics Students Association.
The students said they want assurance from the government that the situation in the country will normalize.
“Students are more likely to protest this week. We need assurance from the government especially from the President (Emmerson Mnangagwa) the same thing he did soon after the ‘coup’. He held a lot of meetings and he made dialogue with the people, now he has to find the mute button,” the President of the Student Union said.
“He only speaks on graduations and he slightly speaks about what is happening. Workers and students are highly affected and it’s like we are living in a vacuum where the authorities are chilled and relaxed,” said Zaranyika.
Mnangagwa has largely been blamed for the economic situation which took a nosedive weeks after the July 30 elections.
Fiscal measures which were introduced earlier this month have worsened the situation as prices have skyrocketed with consumers resorting to panic buying as basic commodities have become scarce or prices have gone out of sight.
“We are still mobilizing students, we want the government to show its legitimacy by addressing the problems and showing us its direction otherwise this information blackout and silence is worrying,” said the Zaranyika who is spearheading the demonstration.
