Editorial Comment: Mutambara, UZ alumni’s effort should be applaudedsident Sata

countries like South Africa can be traced to the University of Zimbabwe.
Yet we have seen it decline in terms of the condition of the facilities as very little money has been trickling into its coffers.
The Vice Chancellor and his staff have battled to keep the standards high and they have done a good job.
The university is too important to be allowed to decline any further.
We thus welcome the campaign led by Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara to raise money for the university.
Last weekend the committee held a successful dinner, which was graced by former South African president Thabo Mbeki, where some of the prominent former UZ students pledged support for the institution.
It is indeed the role of the alumni of the university to use their influence to raise funding for the college.
In countries like the United States, some universities have bigger budgets than those of some developing countries, thanks to the work and generosity of their alumni.
What was missing at UZ was an active alumni committee led by a high-profile person who can put the issue on top of the national agenda as Prof Mutambara has done.
His reputation as a feisty student leader, one of the brightest to emerge from the institution and his present political position meant he could not be ignored when making a case for the revival of the university.
He has been able to surround himself with men and women of good repute and we believe the fundraising campaign will be successful.
For people to support the university financially, they need to be assured that their money will be put to good use.
If every former student gives a minimum of US$100 as suggested by the committee, at least US$6 million would be raised in a short time and it would make a huge difference.
Most former students are in a position to give much more than US$100.
Or better still, corporate bodies can adopt certain faculties or departments they would want to support.
A good example is what Mbada Diamonds has done by adopting the Metallurgy Department.
Zimbabwe is endowed with all kinds of minerals and it is a pity that the country’s biggest university had allowed its department of metallurgy to collapse because it could not attract lecturers. We do not blame UZ for this because the last 10 years have been bad for university lecturers. We salute those that stuck it out when their services were in demand elsewhere in the world.
But now, the time has come to restore the dignity of the lecturers, beginning with those that are there now and attracting back those that had left. As Zimbabweans, we have to take responsibility to ensure this happens.
Prof Mutambara is right in saying support to UZ by Zimbabweans and companies at home and abroad promotes the idea of African philanthropy.
“Africans must start giving back to their communities. We will never be respected if our institutions are poor. For long, Africans have been receivers of aid. We want to change that paradigm. You should ask yourself what               you are doing for your high school, primary school or the hospital that gave you life,” argued Prof Mutambara.
This is the spirit that we need to cultivate among Zimbabweans.
Quite a lot of us are in a position to give back, either from our pockets or to use our influence to mobilise support for the institutions that gave us a break in life.
What has held us back is that mindset that help will come from outside the country or that what we have is too little to make a difference.
But the case of the UZ shows that nothing is too little to give, especially if we all participate.
Again, Prof Mutambara had wise words for us all when he said this was meant to “democratise the art of giving” and move away from the notion that giving is for the rich only.
In any case, anyone who has gone through the UZ has been empowered enough to be a leader in society.
The mark of a good leader is the ability to mobilise resources.
As Cde Mbeki pointed out in his keynote address, Zimbabweans must accept that UZ is a national assert responsible for churning out human capital and we have to take responsibility for its present and future viability.
We urge every former student to play his or her part in this noble campaign and ensure UZ continues to be an academic light, not only to Zimbabwe, but also to the whole world.