$10 fine for student who waved placard at Mugabe during graduation ceremony

By Tatenda Dewa | Harare Bureau |

Tonderai Dombo, a former student leader at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) who was arrested for waving a placard at President Robert Mugabe during a graduation ceremony on Thursday has been released after paying a $10 fine.

Dombo, who was also graduating, stood up and waved a placard that read, Tipeiwo mabasa”, meaning “Give us jobs”.

He was immediately whisked away by Mugabe’s bodyguards and later surrendered to the police.

Reports indicate that he spent the night at Avondale Police Station and was on Friday released after paying a $10 fine for disorderly conduct.

Zimbabwe’s unemployment rate is independently estimated at more than 90 percent and the majority of graduates being churned out by tertiary institutions are struggling to find jobs.

A recent survey by a vendors’ association indicated that at least 2,000 graduates were full time vendors, peddling such things as cigarettes, second hand clothes and vegetables.

Dombo, 22, is an activist and leader at the Youth Advocacy for Reform and Democracy (YARD) that was founded by Temba Mliswa, a former Zanu PF provincial chairman and lawmaker who was expelled from the party for supporting Joice Mujuru, Mugabe’s deputy between 2004 and 2014.

He was the UZ Student Representative Council (SRC) president at one time. Nehanda Radio