ZANU PF Accuses Nurses Of Having "Broad Opposition Agenda"
The ruling ZANU PF has accused nurses of having “a broad opposition agenda” saying the periodic salary protests they have embarked on since last year are meant to destabilise President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration.
Nurses affiliated to the Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZINA) have since last year embarked on a series of protests demanding better salaries and working conditions.
Speaking to reporters at the ZANU PF Politburo held Wednesday in the capital, the party’s acting secretary of information, Patrick Chinamasa applauded other nurses who returned to work. He said:
We also took note as politburo of the positive gesture by nurses at Sally Mugabe Hospital who bravely broke ranks with the opposition-aligned Zina and returned to work.
That is the kind of patriotism we want to see from civil servants.
Responding to Chinamasa’s assertions, Zina president, Enoch Dongo, said it was shameful for Zanu PF to use threats and lies to silence nurses. He said:
That is cheap politics. We are there for the welfare of nurses and that has nothing to do with politics. Ours is a labour issue and not politics.
Clearly, the statement by Chinamasa is misleading. Why has it ended up to that level? The issue with government spilled into the courts and we have two judgments in our favour. Does that mean the High Court is also working with the opposition?
This comes after nurses were recently “forced” to apologise for embarking on industrial action meant for the restoration of their 2018 salaries and to ensure they have a safe working environment.
More: NewsDay
