Mnangagwa Says "Errant" Teachers Risk Being Beaten

President Emmerson Mnangagwa warned that ZANU PF will punish teachers who refuse to support the ruling party.

Addressing over 5 000 teachers at the launch of the Teachers for Economic Development (Teachers4ED) at the Harare International Conference Centre (HICC) on Wednesday, 19 October 2022, Mnangagwa urged ZANU PF officials who were present at the event to punish “errant” teachers. He said:

Our party and government are ready to support you. We have the ZANU PF chairperson here (Oppah Muchinguri). You (Muchunguri) heard me telling them that the ZANU PF party supports them (teachers).

Your children here (the teachers) have chosen to stand with us.  Nurture and guide them. For those who would have shown errant behaviour, you should pinch them, don’t beat them too much. Anenge aita musikanzwa munoshunya hamunyanyi kurova.

Meanwhile, the Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC) led by Nelson Chamisa has condemned the alleged partisan abuse of teachers by ZANU PF.

In a statement, CCC said the ZANU PF-led government should improve teachers’ conditions of service instead of forcing them to attend its political rallies. CCC said:

We condemn the partisan abuse of teachers by ZANU PF. Teachers like any citizen have the freedom to make political choices.

Frog marching them to ZANU PF rallies won’t improve their working conditions or the broken education sector.

More than 5 000 teachers left their stations yesterday to attend the official launch of the Teachers for Economic Development.

ZANU PF officials promised to pamper teachers affiliated with the ruling party with various perks, including farmland, and agricultural inputs in return for their loyalty. | NewsDay