There is nothing more saddening and disturbing than being harassed, beaten up, tortured, being physically, emotionally and mentally harassed for standing up and demanding your snatched rights back.

Zimbabwean students are going through the worst perilous times of all times. We are being subjected to callous, deliberate and protracted neglect through underfunding or should I say no funding. And yet our voices should never shout, and our story should remain untold. Support from the government remains a nightmare and yet we have to live, eat and learn

More than ninety percent of Zimbabwean students in tertiary institutions are leaving far below the poverty datum line as evidenced by accounts given by students at the second largest state university in the country, the National university of science and technology (N.U.S.T). Three male students confessed to walking all the way from town to the university, a distance of more than five kms daily as they can not afford any transport. Females are selling hot at the pubs and clubs as they try to make ends meet for their studies. The lucky students wake up to a bun and sleep on a bun.

The meagre support we get from the government annually is too meagre to support any life even for ten days. The students get roughly 20 pounds per year if the common exchange rate in the country is to be used

The struggle for academic emancipation can not and will not be separated from the struggle for freedom and justice currently rocking the country.

Hell hath no fury in Zimbabwe’s holding cells were I, the N.U.S.T students representative council President, Franco Makwangudze, vice president and Blessmore Nyandoro, the Sec. General were held for more than a week for having demanded together with the rest of the students union, our right to education back.

On the 11th of September there was a national call on all the students to rise and make their grievances heard, organized by the entire students leadership in the country. It was on this day that the worst battle was recorded between the students of N.U.S.T and the partisan police force. One such police thug nearly died when the students attacked him accusing him of infringing their freedom of expression. The students were demonstrating against the government’s corrupt and dictatorial tendencies as regards national and specifically educational matters

The students were calling for an immediate review of their payouts so as to remove them from the starvation statistics of the country. Protests were also clearly directed to the Mugabe regime’s proposed strategic studies which the minister of education, Dr Mombeshora said will be introduced in January next year. Five long Z.A.N.U PF propaganda subjects are to be compulsorily taken by all students in college or universities. The use of college administrators in inflicting poverty and thwarting any students activism was not spared in this protest.

A heavily armed police force was not very fortunate to arrest the leadership of the students which went unarrested for five days. The police took advantage of a review of the impact of a class boycott which started on the 11th of September had had on the government which was addressed by the students leaders. There we were picked, guns pointed at our heads as if we were war criminals. We were accompanied by heavily armed police officers to a police vehicle strategically parked to make a dash as soon as we were thrown into the vehicle.

On arrival to the police station we were first taken to a dirty room were we were first accused of supporting the Movement for Democratic change, commonly referred to there as the MaDeCow. We were heavily assaulted, beaten from the head, from the toes, from the buttock, from the stomach until we said ahhhh!!!, we are beaten.

From this room we were taken to another room I can only refer to as an abattoir. It is a dark room with a welcome piece of paper written,

“NOTICE DON’T REMIND US OF YOUR RIGHTS BECAUSE THEY CEASED TO EXIST THE MOMENT YOU STEPPED ON THIS FLOOR”

Here all kinds of torture were inflicted upon us we were clapped kicked whipped and asked to do all sorts of painful physical exercises including the one the police thugs referred to as “tsiga zimbabwe” . A chair was laid on each one’s head a police officer set comfortably on the metal chair whose legs rested on our shoulders.

From this torture room we were taken to the holding cell. A filthy, dirty, dark, overcrowded room whose pit latrine could not even flash from outside. More than thirty people were held in the approximately 2square metre cell. we had to keep standing by day to accommodate everyone. When night came, all hell really broke loose. We had to sleep on top of each other, as space became more and more precious with several more people being brought in by the police every short period of time that passed by. Five blankets were available, very dirty blankets, they were stinky, red, almost black with dirt, lots of lice and bed bugs on them, yet they were written sweet dreams.

There we slept, no, we lied on top of each other, lamenting the plight of the students and those of the general populace. Agonisingly scratching our bodies from the bitings of the cell, Waiting for dawn hoping that we would be released. But how could this be before even statements were taken and dockets opened.

Dawn came and at 7 o’clock the big metal door was opened, it was time for us to be counted. A few minutes latter it bang and we were inside. At 12o’clock noon, the door was opened and we all hoped for lunch, which never was. We only stood out of the stinky cell, taking a breath of fresh air and wondering where this hunger could take us. After 20 minutes, the door bang again and we were inside, hungry, very hungry. All the stories previously told by be detainees were no more, the lamentations were now personal and inwards.

Six o’clock in the evening of that Monday morning the door opened for supposed super, thank God our college fellows had brought some thing for the three of us. What about the majority of the detainees? Nothing. It went like that for all the four days and three nights we were in police custody.

The police officer that attended to us on Wednesday morning clearly said the government had no money to afford prisoners any food. Come Wednesday we were taken out of the cell to our investigating officer for statements. Painfully the Investigating Officer was too drunk to finish taking down the three statements and took too long trying to study the police post so he could come up with a charge for us under POSA, the controversial Public Order And Security Act. We were taken back to the horrible cell.

Only on Thursday we were released by the court on free bail after being charged with contravening P.O.S.A, section 20(1)(8) which states in brief “undermining the authority of the police, provoking and causing public disorder.” We were remanded out of custody to the 3rd of October 2002.

Democracy in Zimbabwe can only come with a strong international support to those who fight for it from within. The Mugabe regime is totally committed to destroying the economy and every voice that preaches democracy. And they are doing everything to frustrate any one who fights for it. The students movement is one powerful union that is very instrumental and committed to bring democracy to Zimbabwe. Lack of support to the students has delayed the student s voice.

Support the students’ movement!
Support the fight for democracy!
Write to:

Isaac Chimutashu
The President
N.U.S.T Students Representative Council Bulawayo
Email:  ichimutashu@yahoo.com
Phone: 263091380129

Franco Makwangudze
The Vice President
N.U.S.T Students Representative Council
P.O Box AC 939
Bulawayo
Email:  makwangudzek@yahoo.com
Phone: 263 09 282842 Ext. 2038

Blessmore Nyandoro
The Sec-General
N. U.S.T Students Representative Council
P.O Box AC 939
Bulawayo
Email:  blessmory2k@yahoo.com
Phone: 263 09 282842 Ext. 2038