Nqobizwe Thebe
University of Zimbabwe (UZ) lecturers have downed tools in an unprecedented strike, declaring “enough is enough” after years of earning what they call “slave wages” as low as USD $230 per month.
The emergency industrial action, announced by the Association of University Teachers (AUT), follows failed negotiations with the government and university administration over salary adjustments that would restore pre-2018 earnings of USD $2,250 for junior lecturers.
In a fiery statement, AUT leaders accused the UZ administration of “arrogance, oppression, and parasitical behavior,” alleging that top officials have enriched themselves while academic staff struggle with hyperinflation-driven pay cuts. Lecturers now earn a mix of USD $230 and Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) components worth less than USD $200—a fraction of their 2018 wages. “We have subsidized this university for seven years while they plundered resources,” the statement read, vowing to withdraw all labor, including teaching, research, and even the use of personal devices like laptops and phones for work.
The strike, which began April 16, has thrown the nation’s oldest university into chaos, with students fearing prolonged disruptions. Lecturers have pledged “maximum discipline” during picketing but warned of administration attempts to provoke or intimidate them. The government has yet to respond, but the crisis highlights Zimbabwe’s broader economic turmoil, where soaring inflation and currency instability have eroded incomes across sectors.
Prolonged strikes could derail semester progress, worsening Zimbabwe’s already strained higher education system.
