New ZINASU President’s address

By Tafadzwa Mugwadi

I wish to pass my revolutionary greetings to you all the, vibrant students of Zimbabwe and congratulate you all for having a successful 7TH Bi-Annual Congress that saw among other things, my election as the new 7th President of the Zimbabwe National Students Union, of course taking over from some of the loyal sons and daughters of the union, bravely and consistently led Cde Clever Bere.

I am very much delighted to be part of this initiative of ZINASU led  by Clever Bere, who were the brains behind the ‘President speaks to the union,’ the official communication by the ZINASU President to the union.However there are some ideologically bankrupt individuals  who have since stolen this brand, neverthelesss as the new president  i will continue using this brand as it is our brand.

Having known each other for quite so long, rubbing shoulders with each other in what has been the people’s struggle for democracy, social justice and to end dictatorship of the heinous regime of Mugabe, I pass my profound and humble gratitude to you all for entrusting me and my collective executive with the mandate to continue the students and people’s struggle for quality education, social justice leading to a better Zimbabwe.

As I pass my greetings to you all, I am filled with hot air and joy as a long journey has just began. It is however not going to be any easy journey given the circumstances of your situation, my situation and of course, our situation together.

While I shall allude to our challenges in this 1st edition I will seek to dwell much on the way forward pursuant of the Congress resolutions, the same resolutions which shall be the verses and chapters that guide our engagements with each other in executing our generational mandate to fighting academic oppression and suppression in all its numerous forms and manifestations.

It is my hope that by the end of this year, all students would be in a position to defend the resolutions of their historic congress and encourage their peers to join enmass, the revolutionary voyage.

Defining and entrenching a new political culture in pursuit of the students revolution

The congress was held under the theme ‘defining and entrenching a new political culture in pursuit of the students’ revolution’ a theme that has raised many questions on what really is the new political culture that ZINASU’s new executive seeks to impart. We have the answers.

Firstly the new political culture involves reclaiming the union from state politicians and some demi-god personalities back to its founding stake holders, the students of Zimbabwe in their institutional diversity form teachers colleges to universities.

My fellow students, for far too long we have allowed certain pundits to turn our union into a non- governmental briefcase organization that is pliable and vulnerable before our friends in the civil society, some of whom have no good intentions for your union.

The previous administration of our delighted loyal cadres led by Cde Bere faced the same challenges which ultimately so the emergence of a splinter group with an insatiable desire for personal wealth, that is kept afloat by the same self acclaimed heroes of your struggle who have shamefully and constantly resisted efforts to let you, students have total control of your union and its resources.

We remember only too well that Lenin has told us that when such splits happen, led and driven by those that worship money and other human beings, the working class movement will only be going through purification. Our union has therefore been purified. The union has discarded all pernicious vestiges of the petty bourgeoisie. We are now clear on what our real mandate is. We are stronger. We are more united. We are more resolute.

Therefore in line with the congress resolutions we the new NEC shall seek to involve students at all levels especially grassroots to deepen understanding of their union and how they can actively input to the running of the union.

I strongly understand that working together through collective and meaningful engagements, epitomized by vibrant and robust debate on fundamental issues; we can be good shepherds of the union. ZINASU is owned by the STUDENTS of Zimbabwe, and shall remain of the STUDENTS of Zimbabwe for the STUDENTS of Zimbabwe and not to money makers. It is on the basis of this fundamental principle that my collective shall lead your union.

Autonomy

Cdes and friends, I wish to clear the dust on a variety of accusations and counter accusations from different quarters of our world on whether your national union, ZINASU, is an extension of the MDC-T youth assembly or its subordinate organization. The answer that came from the congress is of course, NO!

It is my sincere and humble submission to you comrades and fellow unionists that ZINASU mothered the MDC led by President M.R. Tsvangirai and therefore can’t be as young as others think.  Equally, it is inconceivable that ZINASU will ever decide on leaving the party we formed.

However it will take a principled stance in the face of discord orchestrated by a coterie of chameleonic gangsters who are bent on subordinating your union and leadership for cheap pieces of silver or other expediencies. When we have problems with some pundits in the MDC especially those who interfere in efforts to undermine internal democratic processes of our union by sponsoring splinter groups to undermine you and your leadership, we will not keep quiet!

It is therefore our collective responsibility to defend the union from being transformed into a pendulum of such a rapacious clique of power hungry morons, so that it remains loyal to the same values that have nurtured it thus far, the values that have strengthened your unwavering resolve to take the vamperous and heartless regime of ZANU PF to task.

The worst are those that want to use the students to advance themselves onto certain positions and to fight the legitimate leadership of the party by allying with the students. We refuse to be used for such ominous, divisive, unholy and retrogressive agendas. ZINASU is for you, the students of Zimbabwe, and you only through your internal democratic and constitutional processes should make decisions and not any politician or political party.

Betrayed by the inclusive government

The struggle that you all fought and scars that you sustained thereafter alongside your parents, who brought the historic victory of 29 March 2008 can not be erased from the chapter of Zimbabwe’s struggle for democratic transformation. Equally, you can not be rewarded by unaffordable tuition fees, closure of your halls of residence (UZ), brutality by green bombers, refusal of your right to access results, bonding(cadetship scheme), drop outs among other challenges you continue to face.

You all know very well how the students especially you, yourself have been neglected since the consummation of the inclusive government, negligence that continue to manifest itself in the face of restrictive and prohibitive astronomical fees and tuitions that are beyond the reach of your parents and guardians.

Imagine when you are required to pay an average of US$450 as tuition alone without accommodation. The halls of residence at your institutions are in a shabby and deteriorating level that is beyond redemption while at the University of Zimbabwe they remain indefinitely closed for reasons that we read only in newspapers.

Kuda munogara zvikwambo! We are all yet to know. The boomed room in Iraq or Afghanistan is a hotel compared to the rooms in our institutions. You have been reduced to mere mortal human foxes by your government in the land of your fathers, living in inhabitable sanctuaries like squatters when you are supposed to live as aspirant doctors, teachers, scientists, administrators, political scientists, lawyers among other professions.

The negligence also manifests itself in the total ignorance that has met a number of Petitions that have been given to the respective Ministry and other such offices as may have been necessary, not forgetting the meetings that the previous leaders have had and lip services they received from the same unrepentant bureaucratic clique in the coalition government.

The negligence reaches tension levels, with parliamentarians wasting time prevaricating and nearly exchanging fists over restrictions imposed by the West on ZANUPF dictatorship while refusing to sit down for a while and consider the plight of you and I at our various institutions of higher learning.

I wish to remind you all that as we seek to address this crisis, my leadership collective will not give in to any amount of fear or any form of intimidation because for far too long, we have been neglected.

I am confident that, ‘together we can’

In Defense of Academic Freedoms

Tafadzwa ‘Twoboy’ Mugwadi
National President, Zimbabwe National Students Union