SRC 2013 CANDIDATES SELLING THE UNION TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER: WILL THE GENUINE STUDENT LEADER STAND UP AND SAVE UZ

 

SEC Meeting at UZ.(L to R)L. Chisaira(VP),M. Haruzivishe
(Acting SG),A. Gumbo(Prez) and K. Murombo(Treasurer)

The SRC Elections which we rightfully called off as the current SRC executive have shown how student politics and student unionism have degenerated into a farce at the University of Zimbabwe. Never in history have we shown so media-hungry student activist, yet who cannot even articulate the basics of student unionism. Each of the four who would have become our Presidential contenders seems to have been on a mission to auction our student union to a disinterested politician who could spoon out resources.

Prostituting to politicians

The candidates have done no lobbying to politicians, instead of mobilizing petitions to the politicians; they have gone under cover of darkness to advertise the potentiality of general elections votes to be milked from our students union. Whilst one cannot shun out alliances between students and certain political interests, one must also not condone the commoditisation of the struggle or the commercialisation of the resistance. Let politicians come to our streets not us going offering our tongues to lick their shoes just because we need money to buy votes.

Vote Buying

The money never came to be used for serious communication and campaigns. NO. The ill-gotten monies got to be used for vote-buying. We are entering a stage where vibrant student activist will be elbowed out by sham pretentious who can just amass funds from politicians at election time. And to some of us who believe were uncompromising unionists, it is a pain to see our union going into such a retrogressive step. I vowed last week that we will stop such sham elections by all means, and we did. Students must condemn vote-0buying.Gone are the days, as one former students leader once said, of “Ululating for breakfast, dancing for lunch and singing for supper!”Let any future SRC candidate remember this.

Who will stand up and save the Students Union?

Time for a genuine person to save the union has come, the time is now. These candidates have broken, at least my heart, as an outgoing student activist and leader. We need to leave in office a credible candidate, an ideologically-strong cadre, an unpolluted, articulate and courageous character. In the spirit of democracy and freedom of expression, I will make my pick from across campus of people I consider to be credible people; Let one of these stand up and save the union: Tawanda Moyo(Engineering),Gift Tatz Maposah (Arts),Raymond Sango(Arts),Gilbert Mtubuki(Social Studies),Patience Sibanda(Social Studies),Thamsanga Ndlovu(Law),Valen(Law) and Chikomborero Mumba(Law),Womberai Nhende(Commerce).these are the men and women who can save the union from predators currently selling out and embarrassing us on the national media. At least that what I think. Finally, I am an atheist, but this verse from the Bible says much about my nominees: Cometh the hour, cometh the man, John 4:2.

LENIN TI CHISAIRA

(SRC VICE PRESIDENT)

(UNIVERSITY OF ZIMBABWE STUDENTS UNION)