Students march against "crisis" in Zim

Viva Zimbabwe: Students protest against the crisis in Zimbabwe at UCT today

As Zimbabwe celebrates 28 years of independence today, UCT students and staff gathered at Jammie Plaza to protest against the "crisis" in the neighbouring country.

Waving placards that read "Zimbabwe Independence? Death of Democracy", "Make Mugabe History" and "Zimbabwe Deserves Better", the students called on President Thabo Mbeki, as well as the rest of the world, to acknowledge that there is a crisis in Zimbabwe and take action.

The Student Representative Council's Thami Ledwaba reminded the protesters that the majority of international students at UCT are from Zimbabwe, and that "we can't just sit back and watch what is happening there".

South African Student Congress' Mashao Moshabela called for the release of the election results, while Chris Ryall of Democratic Alliance Student Organisation said "what we see in Zimbabwe is the abuse of power". A representative of the Zimbabwe Student Society added that "people have spoken and their voices must be heard".