BY PRESTIGE MUNTANGA STUDENTS at Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) have allegedly been sleeping rough for the past four days after the institution failed to provide them with accommodation.
Great Zimbabwe University vice-chancellor Rungano Zvobgo confirmed the accommodation crisis at the higher learning institution.
“Our system was down because the cables at Mashava were cut off by workers who were rehabilitating roads. As a result, a majority of students failed to book online,” Zvobgo said.
“We assure you that all of the affected students will be accommodated. The institution has plenty of accommodation. I think we are the only university in Zimbabwe that manages to accommodate all of its students,” he added.
One of the affected students said: “I came here on Monday and I have been sitting at the front door of the accommodation office. No one seems to be willing to help us. They keep telling us to go and look for places to rent out of the school premises”.
The student added: “I paid full fees, including accommodation. Now they are telling us to go and rent rooms nearby, which is too expensive. The rooms are not even available in nearby suburbs. We have been sleeping in the common rooms, whose conditions are inhumane. The university has to consider that we are already in the winter season. We are tired of being treated like pigs and dogs.”
The students alleged that some officials were demanding bribes from desperate students before allocating them on campus accommodation.
“There are so many rooms that are not occupied and they are refusing to give us places to sleep. A majority of students who got accommodation paid US$20 bribes to university authorities. Those who do not have the money are sleeping outside.
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“Some of the students have been sharing rooms, but the accommodation authorities are saying from today they will start door-to-door checks to kick out those sharing rooms,” another desperate student told NewsDay.
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