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ZINASU to Take Mugabe, UZ to Court Over Grace Mugabe PHD


FILE: First Lady Grace Mugabe and Vice President Joice Mujuru graduated with PhDs at the University of Zimbabwe on Friday. (Courtesy photo)
FILE: First Lady Grace Mugabe and Vice President Joice Mujuru graduated with PhDs at the University of Zimbabwe on Friday. (Courtesy photo)

The Zimbabwe National Students’ Union (ZINASU) says it will file a court case on Wednesday challenging President Robert Mugabe and University of Zimbabwe administrators to publicize information regarding the awarding of a philosophy doctorate to first lady, Grace Mugabe.

ZINASU president Gilbert Mutubuki said they decided to take the matter to court after failing to get information on the doctorate from the vice chancellor and other UZ senior officials.

Mutubuki said his union is worried that the doctorate awarded to the first lady was ill-gotten and could discredit the credibility of the UZ and the country’s highly regarded educational standards.

Mrs. Mugabe was capped recently at the university as was Vice President Joice Mujuru, who obtained a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in economics.

Presidential spokesman, George Charamba was not reachable for comment as his phone was not being answered.

Mutubuki said they are taking to court Mr. Mugabe as the chancellor, the vice chancellor and the university to protect the status of UZ degrees.

The law does not protect the first lady from being dragged to court while the university chancellor can sue and be sued.

Meanwhile, former UZ lecturer and internationally-acclaimed writer, Chenjerai Hove, said he has lost pride and prestige of being a former student of the university, claiming the university’s academic degrees have now become a laughing stock following the awarding of the PhD to the first lady.

In a letter to UZ vice chancellor, Levy Nyagura, Hove said he is sure that the awarding of the doctorate to Mrs. Mugabe has plunged the university’s national ranking to a level lower than that of an ordinary high school.

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