The High Court of Zimbabwe has set aside last year’s fees increase by the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) for undergraduate and postgraduate studies.
UZ students filed an urgent chamber application in September 2022 seeking an order reversing the 700 percent fee hike.
Undergraduate students were required to pay ZWL$500 000 while Masters students were required to pay a million for each semester.
In their application, the students, who were represented by the UZ Students Representative Council (SRC), said the raising of fees by the institution was unreasonable and irrational since the government had allocated $3.3 billion in the National Budget approved by the Parliament.
They submitted to the court that they could not afford the fees since most of them come from poor backgrounds.
In his ruling, High Court Judge, Justice Tawanda Chitapi, ordered that the fees increase, effected by UZ, be set aside.
Justice Chitapi further ordered UZ to pay the costs of the application incurred during the process. <a href="https://www.hmetro.co.zw/uz-fees-structure-resembles-a-tuckshop/">He ruled</a>:
<blockquote>
The first respondent (UZ Vice Chancellor Paul Mapfumo) was quite expected to be guided by the University Act which is clear on what powers he has as well as the powers of the Council and Senate.
It was quite astonishing that even the issue of payment of the increased fees was reduced to a tuckshop operation where discounts were given to students depending on the percentage of the total fees due if paid by a given date.
</blockquote>
In a notice dated 01 September 2022, UZ stated that those who were to pay 100 percent of their fees by the 31st of October 2022 were to enjoy a 12.5 percent discount.
It said those who pay 75 percent of their fees by 31 of October will enjoy a 10 percent discount while those that pay 50 percent will enjoy a 5 percent discount.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Pindula News

High Court Rules UZ Fees Structure Resembles A Tuckshop

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has announced the suspension of by-elections for wards 6, 8, 10, 15, and 23 of Binga Rural District Council scheduled for Saturday 03 December 2022.
In a statement on Friday, 02 December, ZEC chief elections officer Utloile Silaigwana said the High Court ordered the suspension of the by-elections after the nominations of five of the candidates were challenged in court. Reads the statement:
<blockquote>
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission would like to inform members of the public that the High Court has ordered the suspension of by-elections for wards 6, 8, 10, 15, and 23 of Binga Rural District Council scheduled for Saturday 03 December 2022.
This follows urgent chamber applications by Collen Mudenda who challenged the nominations of John Simunene Sikabotu, Kingson Mpofu, Mathias Mudenda, Joseph Mwembe, and Wilson Siampolomba on the grounds that they were disqualified from contesting as candidates in terms of Section 119(2) (h) of the Electoral Act.
The Section states that a person shall be disqualified from being nominated as a candidate on the nomination day or the day of an election when he or she is in default with the payment of any levy, rate, charge, or tax due and payable to the council concerned for more than 120 days.
The High Court ordered that the Commission should not proceed with the by-elections for the five wards pending the hearing of the cases which was postponed to 4 January 2023.
However, despite this High Court order, by-elections for ward 20 of Binga Rural District Council, wards 4, 5, and 18 of Gweru Municipality, and ward 28 of Mberengwa Rural District Council will go ahead tomorrow 3 December 2022 as scheduled.
</blockquote>

ZEC Announces Suspension Of Some Binga RDC By-elections

The High Court has barred the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) from holding by-elections in five wards under Binga Rural District Council that were scheduled for 03 December 2022.
The by-elections have been suspended due to objections filed against the nomination of CCC candidates who are alleged to owe the local authority debts of over 120 days.
High Court judge Justice Tawanda Chitapi on Friday, 02 December, granted an application by Collen Mudenda who was seeking the court to bar Mathias Mudenda, who was cited as the first respondent, and ZEC, which was cited as the second respondent, from going ahead with the elections. Ruled Justice Chitapi:
<blockquote>
The elections set for 3 December 2022 for the election of Councillors for Wards 6, 8, 10, 15, and 23 of Binga Rural District Council be and are hereby suspended.
</blockquote>
Meanwhile, ZEC said all other by-elections scheduled for 3 December will proceed.
The by-elections will be held in Binga Ward 20 and in Gweru in wards 4, 5, and 18.

University of Zimbabwe Latest News

Latest Jobs