The ZINASU We Want (Campaign):

Zinasu – the Zimbabwe National Students Union has in the recent past gone through a lot of turmoil owing to various internal and external challenges. The Bulawayo region, led by Cde Joram Chikwadze, as part of the union’s revival plan wishes to engage the students community and beyond, across all regions in this campaign that should see the emergence of a clear revival roadmap, and set the pace for congress debates, hinging but not tied to the underlined skeletal framework:

The Objectives of the campaign are to:

• create a platform for students community and beyond to put minds together and ;introspect, reflect and take stock on the today’s Zinasu;

• create conscientisation and re-conscientisation, alignment and realignment avenues for the building and rebuilding of a conscious student mass; 
• come up with a clear blueprint of a Zinasu We Want; 
• set the impetus for revival action and its achievement

Questions, puzzles, wishes.........With all that has been happening, a lot of questions can be asked, a lot of puzzles emerge: What then is, and should be Zinasu, what should the union that anyone would like to be associated with be like, Where should Zinasu be steered to, what kind of leadership should then be steering it, what character does it take, does it take anyone from anywhere to steer it, how could the struggle for academic freedoms and the emancipation of the students be won [etc) .....

What are the pillars of the institution :


Vision, mission and principles: what are the union’s? , how do we strive to pursue and uphold them without faltering????

Constitution and constitutionalism; the composition of it, the mechanisms for its existence and adherence to as a living and breathing document????, what should be done in case of its breach Etc isnt the institution in a constitutional crisis???, how then should this be sorted out???

Congress, General Council- the essence of their effectiveness, how they should be respected ??? etc... as the most powerful

NEC, National Executive Committee, its composition, institution, expectations of the grassroots students from it, strategic plan and strategism

Devolution, decentralisation: its essence, how it should further the pursuit of Zinasu’s vision, how then should the provincial/ regional executives work to strengthen Zinasu’s grassroots presence.

Approach, Key strategic tasks etc, which approach, what should prmarilly constitute the institution’s key strategic tasks etc,

Keys, suggestions, solutions
.............and, the ultimate destiny of the union lies in the coining and implementation of pragmatic solutions to these questions and puzzles:

The Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) is the mother body of all student representation in tertiary institutions in the country. It is a conglomeration of tertiary students across Zimbabwe which should provide national student representation plus demand driven solidarity and support to the student movement and human rights defenders in Zimbabwe, and also thrives for female participation in defence of democracy and human rights. The organization should be a centre of initiatives for national policy reforms on academic, leadership, economic, political and social needs of students. It should be a sustainable, accountable watchdog for a democratic Zimbabwe conducive to the adherence of principles of good governance and in particular respect of students and academic freedoms/rights.

The Bulawayo regional leadership led by Cde Joram Chikwadze made some deliberations during last week’s student convention in Bulawayo and picked some issues around these critical points in the campaign:

The institution:

Constitution and constitutionalism: constitution should be a popular document, by the students and for the students, publicly available in the public domain to make it is for everyone to judge and rate the conduct of students and student leaders. It should be respected as the supreme document of the union and there should be mechanisms to enforce it. There should be a clear Code of Conduct, also publicly available in the public domain.

Vision, mission and principles: should be clear and premised on the popular voice of the students union , with clear principles being laid down to ensure principle and values based leadership.

Congress, General Council- should be respected as the key decision making institutions of the union, being accorded the constitutional respect, and should also fulfil their constitutional mandate and responsibilities.

NEC, National Executive Committee – should be constitutionally installed, and members should primarily serve the interests of the students without differences. Every member should have a clear portfolio plan blueprint in relation to his or her portfolio, and work tirelessly to meet its dictates.

Devolution: the decentralisation should be taken advantage of as it makes grassroots outreach easier, with dedicated cadres being elected into provincial executive committees.

Approach: the union should have clear pillars that underpin its strategic approach, and the Bulawayo regional leadership believes that the traditional Radical Strategic Student Activism can still carry the day if customised in line with the current environment and crop of students on campuses. Clear approach to campus work, policy work, community work, building students-youth synergies, etc. Students should also take part in broader national development agendas like MDGs etc, with the formation of MDGs Committees being crucial.

Key strategic tasks: the union should establish key strategic task, claim its space in the broader socio-political and economic fraternity, setting agendas on issues key to the meeting of its objectives.

The Bulawayo Regional leadership, believes that Zinasu should initiate key processes like the crafting of a student’s charter in Zimbabwe,  The union could also craft its own various other blue prints in line with democratic principles and international norms, of which crucial could be a blueprint on “Zinasu’s Vision for a New Zimbabwe”

Lets add bones, muscle, flesh etc to the skeleton and revive the students union