Lecturers plot countrywide anti-govt protests
GOVERNMENT has been given a 48-hour ultimatum to release detained University of Zimbabwe (UZ) lecturers or face nationwide protests involving other labour groupings.
Association of University Teachers (AUT) leaders Borncase Mwakorera (secretary-general), Obvious Vengeyi (treasurer) and Desmond Ndedzu were taken into custody by police yesterday, while leading a demonstration over a long-standing salary dispute.
The university educators, who fall under AUT, are demanding that their salaries be raised to the pre-October 2018 level where a junior lecturer was earning US$2 500.
AUT wrote to the police and university authorities notifying them of the educators’ intention to down tools.
“The right to picket and strike is not a privilege granted by the State, it is a fundamental right enshrined in law,” the lecturers said in a statement.
“These arrests expose the hypocrisy of a regime that claims to uphold independence, while suppressing dissent.”
The arrested lecturers are being represented by Kevi Kabya from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR).
Kabya said the lecturers were facing a charge of participating in an unlawful gathering with intent to cause public violence.
He said the three were transferred from Avondale Police Station to Harare Central Police Station.
The crackdown has intensified the scrutiny of government’s labour policies, with critics arguing that the arrests signal a broader erosion of democratic freedoms.
“This is a stark reminder that the independence we were promised remains illusory,” AUT said.
“The State brutalises those who dare to demand their worth.”
AUT issued a 48-hour ultimatum for the release of its leaders as it warned of a nationwide strike action if its demands are ignored.
“The time for negotiation is over,” the union said.
“Failure to comply will unleash the collective fury of exploited workers across all sectors.”
Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe leader Obert Masaraure condemned the arrests of the university lecturers.
“These arrests are a stark reminder that the independence we were promised is a lie. We remain shackled by a system that brutalises those who dare to demand their worth,” Masaraure said.
“The government is playing a dangerous game. It must immediately address the legitimate grievances of AUT.
“Failure to do so will ignite a firestorm of discontent that will engulf the entire nation. This is not a threat; it is an inevitable outcome of continued oppression.” Opposition parties accused the government of shrinking democratic freedoms and perpetrating human rights abuses as the country celebrates 45 years of independence.
The prolonged detention of journalist Blessed Mhlanga, who clocked 52 days in remand prison today, has become a focal point for critics who also accuse the government of stifling Press freedom.
His case is emblematic of a broader crackdown, with rights groups reporting increased arrests of activists.
“What does independence mean when journalists are imprisoned for doing their job? When citizens live in fear of speaking out?” opposition leader Peter Munyanduri queried.
“We fought for liberation, but today, the government has become the very oppressor it once resisted.” NewsDay
