Teachers slam ZANU PF over resolution to influence government job recruitment

TEACHERS have condemned a ZANU PF conference resolution proposing that the ruling party recommend candidates for government jobs, warning that it threatens the constitutional separation between the State and the party.

The party’s Chinhoyi Conference resolved that all candidates seeking government employment should be seconded by ZANU PF, a proposal the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) says contradicts constitutional provisions requiring a politically neutral civil service.

In a statement, ARTUZ rejected what it described as a proposal to grant the ruling party exclusive authority to recommend candidates for government employment.

“We reject the reported proposal to give the party exclusive authority to recommend candidates for government employment. These positions are threatening the distinction between a political party and the State.

“Their implications extend beyond recruitment: they concern who exercises public power, whose interests Government serves, and whether citizens can hold public institutions accountable.

“Zimbabwe’s constitutional order establishes constitutional supremacy. Section 2 makes inconsistent conduct invalid. Section 3 recognises multiparty democracy and the rule of law.

“Sections 194 and 200 require merit, fairness, impartial administration and a politically neutral Public Service. Section 203 assigns public-service appointment functions to the Public Service Commission,” read the statement.

The controversy comes amid calls from some ZANU PF figures for government employees to be enrolled at the party’s Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology.

ARTUZ warned that merging party and government authority could expose public servants to political pressure and undermine their ability to raise workplace grievances without fear of victimisation.

“Where Government and party authority are fused, an ordinary workplace grievance can be recast as opposition to the ruling party. Collective bargaining risks being displaced by demands for political obedience.

“Workers may be pressured to attend party activities or demonstrate loyalty to protect their careers.

“ARTUZ rejects any system in which a teacher’s professional future depends on party endorsement. Qualifications, competence and fair procedures must determine recruitment and advancement.

“The classroom must remain a place of learning, and school leadership must remain accountable for educational standards and learner welfare,” the statement added.

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