The Sunday News
Charleen Ndlovu, Sunday News Reporter
STUDENTS at Lupane State University were reportedly up in arms with authorities over lengthy power and water cuts.
The students staged a demonstration today at the main campus following a three -day power and water cut, demanding that authorities address the issue.
Student Representative Council president, Silas Makusha said; “We approached the dean of students on the very first 24 hours and we even approached them in the morning (today) before deciding to stage a demonstration because we wanted them to tell us why they were failing to address the issue. However, they did nothing and they failed to even explain to us what the problem was and for how long it was going to last,” he said.
He said students felt let down as they were preparing for examinations.
“We have protested before and this was one of our many. There are about 615 students and 50 staff members at the campus, so you can imagine our plight. We have part four students who are working on their projects and having no electricity is a big letdown,” he said.
LSU’s director for communication and marketing Mr Zwelithini Dlamini who confirmed the demonstration, said that the fault was not with the university but was with the power and water utility companies.
“I did receive the news of a demonstration that took place today at Lupane State University main campus and I also received a report about the power and water supply problem which has extended to a period of three days. According to the feedback I got from the district administrator, Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority is trying to establish what could have caused the electric fault however, they suspect that it could have resulted from the strong winds which were experienced recently. As for the water issue, Zimbabwe National Water Authority said that they cannot pump the water because there is no power, the two affect each other.,” he said.
