More than 100 lecturers and teaching staff at the University of Zimbabwe staged a picket on Tuesday in central Harare, supporting an ongoing strike that has entered its fifth week and forced the cancellation of exams. The lecturers began their strike on April 16, demanding a significant salary increase from their current pay of $230 to $2,500 per month, the amount they last earned in 2018 before a major currency shift and subsequent devaluation.
The Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) has joined the lecturers in solidarity, marking the third picket since the indefinite strike commenced. The strike has brought academic activities to a standstill, with no classes held and exams scheduled for two weeks ago unable to proceed. Obvious Vengeyi, a representative of the Association of University Teachers (AUT), condemned the university administration for suspending five AUT leaders, describing the move as counterproductive and likely to intensify the strike rather than end it.
“If the university does not meet our demands, it risks closing its doors for the first time since it was founded in 1952,” Vengeyi warned. The AUT claims the university employs around 1,200 lecturers and teaching staff, yet only 17 remain on duty amid the strike.
The situation escalated earlier this month when six students were arrested and charged for protesting in support of the lecturers. Student leader Darlington Chingwena emphasized the critical role lecturers play in education, stating that their mistreatment threatens the progress and quality of learning at the university.
The lecturers’ demand for a $2,500 monthly salary reflects their desire to align pay with that of other regional universities, a figure that harks back to pre-2019 rates before Zimbabwe transitioned from the US dollar to the local RTGS currency, which has since been replaced by a gold-backed currency introduced in April 2024.
In response to the ongoing strike, the university administration recently announced plans to hire temporary staff to fill in for the striking lecturers, aiming to resume academic operations. However, this move has been met with resistance from both the striking staff and students, who argue that the quality of education and institutional stability depend on addressing the core wage issues at hand.
