There is a panic in the corridors of power following a call for protests by the umbrella Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CiZC) due to the existing transport crisis.
This comes after university students, teachers band nurses jointly called for a potentially crippling national shutdown next Monday following worsening economic hardships.
CiZC spokesperson, Obert Masarure said they would lead the “March against the continued shortage of public transport” because mass public transporter ZUPCO is failing to cope with demand after the government outlawed commuter omnibuses.
“The CiCZ stands firmly behind calls for public protest against failure by government to come up with a proper public transportation system,” Masarure said.
However, Zupco announced the procurement of 464 buses in 2021 and also announced that a further 1000 buses would be imported this year but the buses are failing to cope with demand.
Meanwhile, there has been a call for stay at home protest on May 9 over Zimbabwe’s deepening economic crisis.
The demands tabled for protests are an election transparency advocacy call, a call to end Zupco’s public transport monopoly, a reduction to university fees, channelling funds in hospitals, raising salaries of public sector workers and pension pay-outs.
Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) said in a statement: ” To every citizen of Zimbabwe, every parent, worker, young and the old ….the students’ fraternity is going to shut down every institution of higher and tertiary education on Monday, May 9, 2022.
Students are saying #FeesMustFall through a nationwide campus shutdown, “We demand state-funded education and a living wage for teachers. Teachers are parents. Schools will shut down as we unite to #SaveOurEducation,” The Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe said.
