HIT students protest over DStv, food

By Blessings Mashaya

Harare Institute of Technology (HIT) students yesterday staged a demonstration against poor living conditions and lack of entertainment — DStv.

Speaking to the Daily News yesterday, the HIT’s Student Representative Council president, Saviour Machuwaire, blasted the varsity’s authorities, accusing them of refusing to address their concerns.

“We have tried to engage the vice chancellor but he is failing to address our concerns as students,” he said.

“We are facing poor Internet connection and we say a modern tertiary institution must have Internet connection,” Machuwaire said, adding that “the management also disconnected DStv recently leaving us without any entertainment as students”.

“Students are paying $50 each year for the institution to purchase a bus but nothing has been done so far and as students we say we are not happy,” he further stated.

“There are also no chemicals for students to do their projects and this is affecting our learning. We want these issues to be addressed with immediate effect.”

Muchuwaire added that students were getting substandard food.

“This issue of food is serious. We are getting substandard meals. We suspect out monies are being misused by the management because of the kind of food we are getting everyday,” he said.

Efforts to get comment from HIT vice chancellor Quinton Kanhukamwe were fruitless as his mobile phone went unanswered.

This comes as universities have become hotbeds of disgruntlement and moral decay due to economic hardships.

Early this year, President Emmerson Mnangagwa castigated creeping corruption at universities, warning that perpetrators would be brought to book.

Mnangagwa said the phenomenon of corruption thrives in a society where people readily forego what is true and good in exchange for selfish interest and expedient unscrupulous acquired wealth.

He said learners must be free to report any cases of corruption without fear or favour and perpetrators should be brought to book.

“It is incumbent upon us all the key personnel in our educational institutions to ensure the integrity of our educational systems remain intact. The values of honesty, transparency, accountability, responsiveness and high tendency of professional ethics must be promoted, inculcated and maintained throughout every level from the learners to the top administrators within our educational institutions,” he said.

Currently, Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission has said it is probing corruption at the University of Zimbabwe following a petition by lecturers alleging that the learning institution is losing millions through corrupt means, including siphoning fees and overpricing of goods.

Also, under spotlight is the university’s granting of a doctorate to former first lady Grace Mugabe. DailyNews