Striking University Of Zimbabwe Lecturers Accuse Administration Of Academic Fraud

The Association of University Teachers (AUT) on Friday, marked 110 days since launching a strike at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ), citing continued disregard for dialogue and what it describes as serious academic and administrative misconduct by the institution’s leadership.

In a public statement, the AUT executive accused the university’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Paul Mapfumo, and his administration of violating institutional regulations and pushing ahead with what they termed the fraudulent awarding of marks ahead of the upcoming graduation ceremony scheduled for August 22.

The strike, which began on April 16, 2025, has been characterised by a breakdown in communication between lecturers and university authorities.

The AUT said repeated requests for engagement were ignored, forcing them to withdraw their labour in protest. The statement read:

Even during our strike, the door for negotiations remained open. But, as usual, the University of Zimbabwe administration ignored the AUT’s outreach.

Tensions escalated when executive members of the AUT were suspended and later dismissed for using a university hall to conduct union balloting, an event which the university administration claimed was unauthorised. The AUT, however, maintains the use of the space was for legitimate union business.

Despite the dismissals, the lecturers’ union says it remains open to dialogue.

The AUT said it had submitted a detailed report to UZ authorities on July 30, outlining alleged cases of academic misconduct, including the manipulation of grades and violations of university regulations.

The submission included a seven-page letter and a 45-page supporting document. They say Vice Chancellor Mapfumo was given 48 hours to respond, but no reply was received. The union said:

Instead, he has chosen to proceed with publishing fraudulent results over the weekend (August 2 and 3) in preparation for the graduation ceremony on August 22.

We wish to make it clear to the public that we have made every effort to prevent the University of Zimbabwe administration from engaging in academic fraud that will undoubtedly tarnish the reputation of not only the University but the nation as a whole.

The AUT has since released its letter to the university administration, along with an internal memo they say outlines plans to publish the disputed results ahead of the graduation ceremony.