Mugwadi however dismissed this claim insisting that Brian Chirume and another as yet unnamed student died after being brutally assaulted by college security guards determined to stop those who had not paid their tuition fees from attending the graduation ceremony. The tragic incident happened two weeks after Higher Education Minister Stan Mudenge said no student should be barred from sitting exams, harassed or victimized, for failing to pay fees.
Chirume was found dead inside the tennis courts at the university on the Saturday morning. He was said to have been buried in Chivhu on Monday. The other unnamed student died at Parirenyatwa Hospital, but Mugwadi said they were struggling to make contact with his family to get more information. Another source told us he was set to be buried Wednesday. His parents are said to be reluctant to talk about the matter, fearing retribution from the state.
Mugwadi challenged the explanation from the university, querying why any armed robbers would target penniless students already struggling with exorbitant tuition fees. On Tuesday Kudakwashe Chakabva, the spokesperson for the ZINASU faction led by Mugwadi, told us 16 other students were seriously injured when the college security guards went on a rampage trying to bar a significant number of students from graduating, because they had not fully paid up their tuition.