adminAddressing journalists during the media tour of yet another newly acquired campus at Mashava Mine yesterday, Vice-Chancellor Professor Rungano Zvobgo said GZU has bought a number of premises within a short space of time.
He said the biggest achievement in the institution’s efforts to improve accommodation for students and teaching staff was the acquisition of Gaths Mine premises in Mashava.
“During the first 100 days that the new Vice-Chancellor has been in office, a number of steps have been taken to remedy the unfortunate situation where GZU has been turned into a glorified high school. A number of properties have been procured to provide permanent teaching and learning facilities. The premises comprise A1 Mandava Hotel, which becomes our Mucheke Campus, Paramount College, which will be our City Campus, Norman Richards warehouse, City Campus library and former Chikozho Garages, which will become department of works and estates,” said Prof Zvobgo.
He said the university’s biggest achievement was the acquisition of infrastructure from the now under-utilised mine in Mashava.
“Perhaps the most significant achievements so far made is the acquisition, on a 20-year lease, of the now disused Gaths Mine premises in Mashava. These become our Mashava Campus, as we move towards a multi-campus approach. The facilities are ordinary and adaptable to university teaching and learning. The facilities include residences, which are now being refurbished to provide elite accommodation for students, the type not available in any of our national institutions. Also in deed are lecture rooms, multi-purpose halls, staff residences, a club house and guest houses,” he said.
He said the Mashava Campus would be home to two faculties, namely Social Sciences and Arts adding that the university would want to focus more on its niche area.
“Our niche area of culture and heritage studies requires that we be creative in placing culture and heritage at the centre of all learning. Consequently the university students will be taught within the framework of African culture and heritage in order to help our children understand who they are as they grow up and as they participate in nation building,” he said.
He said the campus, which is already under refurbishment, should be complete by the end of next month adding that the university would only incur labour-based costs.
“The campus refurbishment should be complete by end of March and we expect it to be fully operational at the beginning of August and that is when students and staff will occupy the rooms. We have to thank the owners of the mine for leasing us these premises, which will provide both our staff and students with a conducive learning and teaching environment. It is a development to the community of Mashava in the sense that some of the houses have been lying idle for a long time thereby making the whole settlement a ghost settlement. The costs we are incurring in the complete refurbishment of leased properties are labour-based and estimated at about $2,1 million,” he said.
Prof Zvobgo said while there could be resistance from some former residents, who feel shortchanged by the new developments, it should be incumbent upon the community to realise that there are a number of benefits accrued from the new development.
“We have already made it our policy that local people should be the first to benefit in a number of ways. Apart from bringing university education to their doorsteps, we are going to recruit some of them to be our security guards, general hands and already some have been taken on board by the construction companies doing the refurbishments. Many lives will be transformed through GZU and people should see a bigger picture in it,” he said.
“Besides, GZU has no capacity to dislodge people from their houses, but the truth of the matter is that we accepted the leases basing on the idea that most of the houses were disused. In actual fact everything was done above board.”
The Vice-Chancellor was responding to concerns raised by some of the affected families, who complained that they were “evicted” from the houses that there have been living in for more than 10 years.
The residents said some of the houses that they were moving into were dilapidated with some saying they had since planted maize and expected bumper harvests. However, some residents hailed the establishment of the campus saying that it was a long-term investment that would see the community of Mashava develop in many aspects.
Mr Percy Ngwenya, who has been working and living in the mining community for over 20 years, said the idea of a university campus was long overdue, as their children would also get higher education nearer home.
Online Reporter