BY OWN CORRESPONDENT

The Zimbabwean government has bowed down to pressure from University of Zimbabwe lectures and promised to increase lecturers’ salaries after they had threatened to expand their strike to all 14 state universities.

On Monday, 28 April, Presidential spokesperson George Charamba, posting under his X alias “Jamwanda 2,” said the government is working on improving lecturers’ welfare. He revealed that President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is the Chancellor of all state universities, had already approved plans to improve salaries, but the recommendations had not yet been implemented.

He blamed bureaucratic delays and promised that the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) would push things forward quickly. Charamba wrote:

“YOU HAVE BEEN HEARD!!! Government is addressing the welfare of University Lecturers. Just as well they raised the matter publicly. It turns out the Chancellor, Dr E.D. Mnangagwa, had long approved recommendations which should have put this matter well behind us. Inertia gathered somewhere and OPC will cause movement. Thank you Comrades for acting responsibly!

The lecturers, under University of Zimbabwe Association of University Teachers (AUT) had been protesting poor wages and demanding urgent action.

The university responded by suspending some union leaders forcing the union to threaten to expand the action to all state universities. University management was then forced to climbdown by lifting the suspension on the Association of University Teachers leaders.

The union leaders were suspended without benefits in an April 4, 2025, letter, for alleged riotous behaviour and inciting others to engage in violent action after they raised grievances concerning their dire working conditions.

The lecturers, who began an indefinite strike last week, were pressing for a review of their salaries to US$2 500, which prevailed before October 2018. They are earning a salary which is under US$300, plus a local currency component of about US$200.

According to the lecturers, they have tried to engage university authorities with little success over the past seven years.