By Dr Takavafira Zhou.
Zimbabwe. (News of The South) – That the Central Intelligent Officers, CID, PISI, Police, Ministry of Education officials and Public Service Officials, converged in schools threatening teachers today is indicative of the level of success of teachers’ incapacitation struggle.
The real incapacitated teachers mostly in rural and peri- urban areas’ participation was very good and above 80 %. However the overall participation of teachers across the union divide in urban areas was not good as 50% of teachers participated while the other 50% reported for work but did not teach. There were however several schools in rural areas across the ten provinces where attendance was 0% as even school heads failed to travel back to their respective stations due to incapacitation. Students in many schools were sent back home as there were no teachers.
Our general membership and leadership faced threats with central intelligence officers, police officers, CID and PISI officers phoning members that had not turned up and threatening them to report for work. Ptuz top leadership received uninvited visitors in our various offices who were not only ill informed but unnecessarily wanted to put teachers’ legitimate incapacitation together with other forces’ threats to shut down business.
As usual we were able to explain to them our dispute of right emanating from the govt’s unilateral reduction of our salaries from US$500 to US$35, and our clamour for the restoration of our purchasing power parity. Some such Central Intelligence officers had the temerity to ask a statement on our 2014 banner,viz, ‘accountability over diamonds and other minerals’ and we were equal to the task explaining that responsible leadership must judiciously tap and harness mineral wealth for the benefit of the general populace ( teachers included) as opposed to the benefit of an elite oligarchy. Our members who gave heed to incapacitation in rural areas of Binga, Uzumba Marambapfungwe, Beitbridge, Nkayi, Insiza, Gokwe, Mwenezi, Checheche, Inyanga, Sanyati etc also received unsolicited phone calls from people who threatened them.
One notorious phone number used to threaten our members is 0712337886, and as Ptuz we would want to remind such rogue guys that we have a dispute of right against our employer and they must leave us in peace. At any rate we dont eat threats but will always be open to genuine engagement and logical disputation. We however want to thank some CID from Kwekwe for being very polite in their inquiry and use of reason rather than threats.
Several reasons were given for low participation in urban areas such as rumour allegedly circulated that school heads would be giving teachers food vouchers from gvt, which proved to be futile. The hope for incentives from parents is high than in rural areas. A considerable number of teachers deployed in urban areas are related to the ruling oligarchy and therefore indirectly benefit from its pilferage. Some teachers were looking for an opportunity to sell sweets and other commodities in order to raise school fees for their children. Absurdity and cowardice cannot also be ruled out.
However, participation in incapacitation in several schools in rural and peri-urban schools was very high. In Matebeleland South several teachers have joined villagers in nutritious caterpillar gathering in order to raise fees for their children. Not surprisingly, teachers were conspicuous by their absence in schools.
With Mthuli Ncube failing to mellow down to a more constructive approach permeable to reason and facts, the teachers’ incapacitation struggle will continue unabated. Teachers cannot subsidise the employer, and neither can they teach other people’s children when their own children cannot access and afford education in most boarding schools. We also remind the sweets, banana and maputi brigades that they must become part of the solution rather than part of the problem.
Teachers have a responsibility to define, defend and shape a better future. Ptuz urges all teachers across the union divide to learn to fight together as brothers and sisters or perish together as fools. The only real prison is fear, and the only real freedom is freedom from fear in defence of our profession and National development. Let all teachers rise and show their incapacitation.
Venceremos
Dr Takavafira M. Zhou (Ptuz President)
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