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The All-Africa Students’ Union (AASU) and the Southern African Students’ Union (SASU) have jointly called for the immediate reinstatement of suspended student leaders at Midlands State University (MSU) in Zimbabwe. The student leaders identified as Tanaka J. Sibanda, Nester Moyo, Keegan Mathe, Takunda Mhuka, and Fanuel Gona, they said, were suspended without a hearing for wearing ZINASU t-shirts and recruiting members.

In a letter addressed to the President of Zimbabwe, H.E. Cde Emmerson D. Mnangagwa, AASU President H.E. Osisiogu Osikenyi E. expressed the continental students’ movement’s dissatisfaction and solidarity with the suspended students.

The letter urged the President to direct the immediate reinstatement of the students and to caution the MSU management against continued victimization of student leaders exercising their fundamental rights to freedom of expression and assembly.

“We stand in solidarity with the students of Midlands State University, the Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU), and the subregional student body – Southern Africa Students’ Union (SASU) in their struggle for justice, equality, and academic freedom,” the letter read.

Meanwhile, SASU has issued a press statement condemning the escalating repression of student activists in Zimbabwe and Eswatini. According to SASU’s Gender and Human Rights Secretary, Mqondisi M. Msibi, student leaders in both countries are being harassed, suspended, arrested, and denied their basic rights for demanding democracy, education, and justice.

The statement highlights the unjust suspensions at MSU and the broader state-led infiltration of student unions, trade unions, and opposition parties, aimed at silencing all forms of dissent. “The repression in Zimbabwe is part of a disturbing trend where authoritarian regimes use education institutions as battlegrounds to suppress youth activism,” the statement declares.

Both organizations have made several demands, including the immediate reinstatement of the suspended ZINASU student leaders at MSU, protection of student unions from government interference, and respect for academic freedom and students’ rights across Southern Africa. They have also called on the international community to pressure the Zimbabwean government to respect democracy and human rights.

AASU and SASU emphasized that the right to association and academic freedom are fundamental principles that support the functioning of educational institutions and promote intellectual growth.

“We trust that you will swiftly direct the immediate reinstatement of our Comrades within 3 days in line with the spirit of the New Zimbabwe,” AASU’s letter to the President concludes, “#FreeZimStudents #AcademicFreedom #HumanRights”.

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