Accommodation woes haunt Zim students

Kimberleigh Jiro

STUDENTS at Zimbabwe’s universities are facing an accommodation crisis as universities in the southern Africa country open for the first semester of the year.

Most universities in Zimbabwe do not have adequate on-campus accommodation for students.

Students are often forced to rent in surrounding suburbs, where property owners are demanding rentals in United States dollars.

Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development minister, Professor Amon Murwira, acknowledged the accommodation challenges at country’s tertiary institutions.

“Some of our students are having problems in terms of accommodation. The way they are being treated gives us a strong resolve to make sure we build hostels (for students) as fast as possible,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Congress of University Students’ national president Pijiwest Nhamburo told ZTN that they are negotiating affordable accommodation for their members.

“We are negotiating with landlords to get affordable accommodation for students,” said Nhamburo.