University students protest fees hike

Protests continued at university campuses across Zimbabwe this week as soaring inflation hit tuition fees. According to analyst Chris Maroleng, of the South African based Institute for Security Studies, "The overall environment in Zimbabwe is one of instability: we have security forces placed on high alert in case of uprisings because of the sudden price increases in basic commodities [such as bread], the arrest of varsity students in a bid to stop protest actions by them, and the alleged coup plot related to the arms cache found last week [which the government has linked to the opposition]." Students at Zimbabwe's state-run tertiary institutions started rioting and boycotting lessons this week, in protest against a 1,000 percent increase in tuition fees. Government announced new fees at all its tertiary institutions, including universities and polytechnics, two weeks ago, sparking a wave of disapproval by both students and parents, who said they could not afford the new costs. Tuition fees for a four-month term at university jumped from around Zim $3 million (US $30) to between Zim $30 million ($302) and Zim $90 million ($907), while the cost of studying at polytechnics surged to Zim $30 million ($302), up from Zim $2 million ($20) a term. Residential students have to pay an extra Zim $24 million ($241) for accommodation. Earlier this week dozens of students from the National University of Science and Technology (NUST), the only university in Zimbabwe's second city, Bulawayo, clashed with baton-wielding police after marching through the streets demanding a reduction in their fees. Several of them were detained and are being charged with breaching sections of the country's security laws. Two weeks ago more than twenty students from the same institution were held for rioting and taking a lecturer hostage on campus. Violent confrontations between students and security personnel have also occurred at the University of Zimbabwe in the capital, Harare, where dozens of students have been suspended. The Zimbabwe National Students' Union (ZINASU), an umbrella body representing learners at all tertiary institutions in the country, said the protests would continue until government reversed the fees hike. The increases have come at a time of record inflation in Zimbabwe, currently at 782 percent. With the majority of workers earning an average of Zim $5 million ($50), parents said they could not afford the new costs.