Zinasu leader arrested after students march

Zinasu leader arrested after students march

STUDENTS march during a Zinasu-organised demo Wednesday

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By Staff Reporter

PROMISE Mkhwananzi, the leader of the Zimbabwe National Students Union (Zinasu) was arrested last night after leading about 300 college students in a street demonstration in Harare Wednesday.

The unannounced march in the capital, dubbed "the long march to academic freedom”, is the latest in a series of coordinated protests by President Robert Mugabe's opponents.

Correspondents say the placard-waving students began their march from the Harare Gardens, and marched for a mile in the direction of Zimbabwe's parliament before police fired tear gas to disperse them.

The students wanted to hand over a petition to the Speaker of Parliament, John Nkomo, demanding, among other things "free education, economic revival and an end to police brutality."

The students, who were largely peaceful, barricaded some roads in central Harare during their march which appears to have caught the country's security services by surprise.

The Zimbabwe Crisis Coalition, in a statement late Wednesday, hailed the students' protest march as "encouraging".

The group said in a statement: "The police’s actions were akin to closing the barn after the horse has already bolted. Almost thirty minutes after the march, police vehicles were awash in town in anticipation of the resumption of the protests.

"At noon the police started assaulting civilians who were suspected to have participated in the demonstration in central Harare."

Zinasu leader Promise Mkhwananzi was arrested last night, and other members of his executive were being hunted by police. Police sources said Mkhwananzi would be charged under the Public Order and Security Act for organising an "illegal gathering".

Speaking before his arrest, Mkhwananzi said: "Students shall remain a critical and cardinal element in pressurising the Zimbabwean government into upholding democratic governance policies.

"The history of the role of students in democratising the country has never been questionable and is clearly written on the rock solid memory of the people of Zimbabwe.

"Education is a universal human right as enshrined in the Zimbabwean constitution, regional bodies such as the African Union and the international organisations like the United Nations. Sadly, Zimbabwe remains a backwater, where education has become a preserve for the rich whilst relegating the poor outside the academic radars.”

Zimbabwean police clamped down on a protest by trade unionists two weeks ago. They effected over 200 arrests and the protest leaders claim they were tortured in police custody.

The Criminal Investigations Department is investigating the torture claims on the directions of a Harare magistrate.
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