Student activists under attack in Zimbabwe

SAIH has worked alongside Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) for decades in the struggle for the right to education and academic freedom. What we are now witnessing in Zimbabwe is not new, but it is serious, and it is escalating.

In February 2026, the government of Zimbabwe proposed the Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 (CAB3) that would, among other things, extend President Mnangagwa's current term by two years, to 2030, without holding new elections. The bill has met broad opposition from Zimbabwean civil society, and the authorities have responded with systematic repression of those who dare to speak out.

ZINASU mobilized over 200 students to participate in the public hearings at the end of March and beginning of April to present opposition to the bill. The majority were denied entry to venues controlled by pro-government groups. Those who nonetheless attempted to participate faced abductions, violence, and arbitrary arrests.

Several student activists are now facing prosecution.

Emmanuel Sitima, former ZINASU president and current Treasurer General of Southern Africa Students Union (SASU), was arrested following a reported abduction attempt and remains in detention, denied bail. Takunda Mhuka, previously expelled from Midlands State University for recruiting fellow students into ZINASU, was arrested for speaking out at a public hearing. Tafara Magodora from Bindura State University was abducted from a bus stop while encouraging fellow students to defend the constitution and has since been charged with assault on spurious grounds. Lindon Zanga, Preston Paradzayi, and Marlvin Madanda from Chinhoyi University of Technology face disorderly conduct charges after challenging a staged meeting designed to falsely present students as supporters of the bill. The

ZINASU office in Harare was also raided on 15 April, with documents confiscated and the organization’s president ordered to report to police.

We call on the Zimbabwean authorities to: 

• immediately and unconditionally release Emmanuel Sitima, Takunda Mhuka, and all other students detained for peaceful activism,
• drop all charges against ZINASU activists,
• open genuine dialogue with civil society on the constitutional amendment process,
• ensure independent investigations into attacks on activists so that those responsible are held accountable.

We also call on the Norwegian government to raise the situation of imprisoned student activists and the broader erosion of democratic space in Zimbabwe in bilateral and multilateral forums, and to urge the Zimbabwean government to fulfil its obligations under international human rights law.

SAIH stands in solidarity with ZINASU and all those fighting for democracy and freedom of expression in Zimbabwe.