Students at Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT) have been ordered to vacate their on-campus hostels with little notice, a move reportedly linked to preparations for the Zanu PF 23rd National Conference scheduled for October.
The affected learners, some of whom are final-year students working on dissertations, have been relocated to Chinhoyi High School. The Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) CUT chapter condemned the decision, accusing university management of prioritizing the ruling party’s conference over student welfare.
In a statement, ZINASU CUT Chairman Hillary Masango described the eviction as autocratic and short-notice, saying students were being treated as “temporary placeholders” and that their academic stability was being undermined. Masango added that the relocation posed safety risks and disrupted study schedules, particularly for those in critical stages of their studies.
“We will not sit back while administrative recklessness disrupts students’ lives. Education is a right, not a privilege,” Masango said.
The renovations are intended to upgrade accommodation facilities to host delegates attending the Zanu PF conference. CUT Director of Public Relations and Communications, Shadreck Nembaware, was unavailable for comment at the time of publication.
This is not the first time students have been displaced due to political events in Zimbabwe, raising concerns about the intersection of education and party politics.