Police crush UZ lecturers' demonstration

Police once again displayed heavy-handed tactics on Wednesday morning, arresting leaders of a demonstration by University of Zimbabwe (UZ) lecturers who were demanding a salary review. The arrested leaders of the Association of University Teachers (AUT)-Borncase Mwakorera, Obvious Vengeyi, and Desmond Ndedzu-were taken into custody at Avondale Police Station.

The small group of lecturers had gathered outside their workplace, picketing in protest over their deteriorating wages. Their demands echoed a call for salaries to be restored to pre-October 2018 levels, a time when junior lecturers earned as much as US$2,500. In stark contrast, many lecturers now receive a fraction of this amount, with UZ educators earning just US$300, alongside a ZWL component that falls well below the equivalent of US$200 when converted.

Despite seeking permission from both the police and university authorities for the demonstration, the lecturers were met with resistance. AUT's legal advisor, Munyaradzi Gwisai, criticized the actions of the police, stating that the picketing was entirely lawful.

"In terms of the law, it is clear that registered trade unions are permitted to authorize a picket as long as the strike is lawful, and that is exactly what happened here," Gwisai explained. He added that the police's insistence that the protest was unlawful was in conflict with established labor laws, pointing out that the university had been notified of the protest's location outside of the campus after they refused permission for the picket on university grounds.

This protest follows a failed attempt by the AUT to strike earlier in the month, which was halted by the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education. The university's educators, undeterred by their previous setback, continued their struggle for better pay, leading to the latest round of arrests and tensions.

A source within the university, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation, shared frustration with the current situation, saying the promises made by the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Fredrick Shava, had been hollow. "The minister came to the university after the press conference by veteran Blessed Geza, where he promised us salaries equivalent to our regional peers. Yet, here we are, earning much less," the lecturer said.

Further expressing discontent, another educator explained the financial strain they are experiencing: "Imagine going to work and spending your entire salary on fuel-what do I eat, what do I feed my family with? I have three degrees and more than 40 published papers, yet I am struggling to survive on such meager wages."

In addition to the shockingly low salaries, the lecturers are particularly aggrieved by the promises of regional parity that have not been realized, despite repeated assurances from Shava. Professors, who once earned as much as US$5,000, now find themselves earning far below that figure, contributing to a growing sense of disillusionment.

Attempts to reach UZ Vice-Chancellor Paul Mapfumo for comment on the matter were unsuccessful.

This latest incident has cast a spotlight on the dire financial conditions faced by Zimbabwe's academic staff, whose calls for fair wages have been met with increasingly aggressive responses from both university authorities and law enforcement. As the dispute continues, the future of education at UZ remains uncertain, with lecturers questioning how long they can endure under such economic pressures.