Female Student Warriors: Kundai Chambara
Nehanda Radio is serialising the book “Solid Impact Stories: Experiences of Student Rights Activists in Zimbabwe (2000-2012)” courtesy of the Students Solidarity Trust (SST). This week we focus on Kundai Chambara.
“I intend to work with young women especially those in tertiary institutions and probably those in high schools so we intend to work with young women so we can be able to transform the leadership environment.” Kundai Chambara.
Chambara Sabrina Kundai was born in Murombedzi, Zvimba District in Mashonaland West on January the 20th , 1987. She did her primary education at Batsirai Primary School in Gokwe and Kawondera Primary School in Murombedzi.
Kundai then proceeded with her secondary education at Chinhoyi High 2 Secondary School till she finished her ordinary level in 2003. Kundai completed her advanced level studies in 2005 at St. Peters Kubatana High School in Highfield Harare after the death of her parents.
In 2007 she enrolled at Chinhoyi University of Technology.
Kundai recalls why and how she joined student activism:
I started to be a student leader besides being a hall of residence committee member and holding posts in various clubs at my institution.
I was elected a regional Secretary for the National Movement of Catholic Students (NMCS) in 2008. The main reason I had to join the students struggle was to fight the dollarization and commercialisation of education in Zimbabwe.
Among other reasons I wanted to really fight for space for female student representation in Student Representative Councils at my college. The males in the SRCs were not able to address female students’ problems and I thought there should always be some female student leaders in the SRCs.
The university administration could not address the plight of the students and also could not ensure that minimum standards of service provision such as provision of food and accommodation are maintained.
There was really need for a change of leadership and to make it worse, those who were there had overstayed for over three years instead of the constitutional one year.
There was need for a breakthrough in the student representative council at Chinhoyi University and I thought I will be able to make that breakthrough of which we succeeded (Chambara 2011).
Kundai is an undergraduate international marketing student at Chinhoyi University Technology and has worked as an intern at Clarion Insurance Company (2011).
Among other leadership posts she has been the ZINASU, Gender and Human Rights Secretary (2010- 2011); Chinhoyi University (SRC), Health Gender and Social Welfare Secretary (2009-2011) and National Movement of Catholic Students Harare Regional Secretary (2008-2009).
Kundai’s vision:
“I intend to work with young women especially those in tertiary institutions and probably those in high schools so we can be able to transform the leadership environment which has been created by the current leaders” (Chambara 2011).
