Students removed from University for insulting Mugabe

JOHANNESBURG -- Three Fort Hare University students have been thrown out of President Mugabe's scholarship programme for allegedly insulting their benefactor, Mr Mugabe.One of them, Tonderai Kunyaye, a second-year Bachelor of Social Science (Communications) student has spoken about how the expulsion will ruin his future.Kunyaye, whose student number is 200808194, was allegedly booted out of the university with at least two others for saying "bad things about Mugabe". The dentities of the other two students could not be immediately established.The expulsions are likely to fuel suspicions that the controversial scholarship programme, originally designed for under-privileged students, is being abused by politicians.Documents seen by CAJ News Agency that were signed by Manicaland governor, Chris Mushohwe, who is Mugabe's Fort Hare Scholarship Programme executive director, confirmed the developments.One of the letters from Mushohwe was copied to the University of Fort Hare Registrar Dr N Mrwetyana, executive director of students ZM Mjekula, Vice-Chancellor Professor Alice, Dr Tom Mvuyo and Jerry Samkange, who is a member of the Presidential Fort Hare Scholarship committee.Kunyaye is also being accused of refusing to submit his results to the sponsor and patron, President Mugabe at the end of each semester, a requirement the letter says every student should comply with."The student has violated standing rules and regulations of the programme. The student has defied calls for him to submit his results to the sponsor at the end of each semester, a requirement which every student complies with."He has been broadcasting hate, malicious and defamatory propaganda through self-made music, postcards and addresses to other students in and outside your university (Fort Hare)."The student has spread false, malicious and defamatory allegations through print media which has elicited malicious controversy around the patron and sponsor of this programme (President Mugabe)," reads the letter.The letter also claims Kunyaye confessed that he was involved in illicit dealings in precious minerals in Zimbabwe during the June/July 2009 school vacation."Tonderai has been masquerading as a member of national security organisations as a way of intimidating other students on the programme."Programme authorities have evidence to all these claims from numerous reports written to us by the Zimbabwe Students' Committee there, his own friends on the scholarship and those not on the scholarship and other students who do not subscribe to his unclear agenda," reads the letter.The document claims Kunyaye conned some Zimbabwean students of up to R10 000."It is for the above reasons and many more not listed here that the sponsorship is forthwith terminated."The university is hereby advised that Tonderai is no longer a beneficiary of the Presidential Scholarship Programme."Tonderai is expected to surrender the study permit issued under the auspices of the scholarship. "He is expected to come to Zimbabwe and assist authorities here to substantiate claims contained in tapes and reports in our possession, failure to which his guarantors will be called upon to reimburse what government has expended on his education under the programme sponsorship," reads the letter.But Kunyaye said he was ready to clear his name. "I am a victim of this unjust and very oppressive type of autocracy," he said in an interview."I am prepared to give a testimony at any platform because whatever has happened to us is not in any way a cause of the scholarship programme," Kunyaye said.Mushohwe was not reachable for comment yesterday while Higher and Tertiary Education permanent secretary Washington Mbizvo did not answer calls on his mobile phone - CAJ News.