Cyprus hell for Zim students

Source: Cyprus hell for Zim students – DailyNews Live

Bridget Mananavire      20 August 2017

HARARE – While foreign universities are portrayed as havens of quality
education  compared to those in the country, Zimbabwean students in
Northern Cyprus are going through hell.

Instead of the island being a paradise it has turned otherwise with
parents complaining that their children are suffering attacks and abuse
from the Turks, language barrier in lectures, and high expenses making
their stay horrible.

There are about 4 800 Zimbabwean students who are in Cyprus – which is
under Turkey – with reports that some went through agencies that promised
non-existent scholarships.

This also comes as the Zimbabwean parliament has reported that Zimbabwean
students there are turning to crime as they try to eke out a living.

In an incident that showed the extent of the troubles these students are
facing, Macmillan Nyamukondiwa is battling blindness following racially
aggravated assault.

Friends and family of the 27-year-old had to open a GoFundme page to help
raise  -L-10 500  for an operation to restore his sight.

Nyamukodiwa left Zimbabwe for Cyprus in 2016 where he was currently
studying towards an M.Sc. in Information Systems at Near East University
in Northern Cyprus.

In June this year, Nyaukondiwa was attacked by Turkish assailants but his
friends of Turkish origin were left unharmed.

He was unlucky because stitches from previous corneal transplant came off
and this threatened vision in his right eye.

“Doctors in Cyprus stitched up his eye in a medical surgery and put him on
antibiotics but unfortunately this was in vain.

“The diagnosing doctors have recommended a corneal transplant in a
highly-specialised eye centre as it is not a straightforward case. At
present, Macmillan only has five percent of his vision. As a family we are
in the deepest of despair following these events,” the GoFundme page which
has also met half of the required amount read.

Nyamukondiwa is not the only student who has appealed for crowd funding,
several other students are also turning to the page to help them finish
their studies on the island as their parents in Zimbabwe can no longer
afford.

One parent of the students studying at Cyprus International University
told the Daily News on Sunday that if she had a choice she would withdraw
her son from the university.

“It’s now late because a year has already gone by, but I am not even
settled. I am always forking out money, to make  sure my son lives
comfortably because the landlords are rough and they are always getting
them harassed by the Turkish police,” the parent who, however, could not
say her name to protect her son’s  identity said.

“You know agents here paint Cyprus as this paradise but it’s not, our
children are suffering on that island.  And they say lectures are in
English but not all of them are, it’s a few lecturers that can speak
English. They also say that you can use United States dollars but that’s
not the case, they use euros so everything becomes expensive.”

Another Zimbabwean who had gone to study in Cyprus will spend the next
seven years in prison after being convicted of drug dealing in the country
as he sought to earn a living illegally.

This also comes as officials in Cyprus are seemingly facing a torrid time
with Zimbabwean students studying in the island country that have turned
to prostitution and trafficking of drugs in a desperate bid to survive as
they are living on the fringes of poverty.

Parliamentary portfolio committee chairperson on Foreign Affairs Kindness
Paradza has since approached the ministry of Foreign Affairs with the view
of sending a delegation to investigate the full extent of the crimes being
perpetrated by Zimbabweans.

“Three Zimbabwean students were recently arrested, one has been given
seven years’ imprisonment over drug trafficking,” Paradza told the Daily
News on Sunday earlier.

“Some went there with false information and because of that they started
involving themselves with drugs, in prostitution, others are marrying
other nationalities for convenience. Some have been arrested for drug
trafficking.

“So we have approached the ministry to send an official delegation there
through Turkey because Cyprus is under Turkey.”