Zimbabwean
26 August 2011
By Tony Saxon
Teachers here are being forced to buy Zanu (PF) cards by war veterans, The Zimbabwean has learnt.
Teachers at Gombakomba and Dangare schools in Zimunya district last week said that war veterans led by Robert Rufuse and Jonas Chitakatira were living in fear as they were forced to buy the cards as a way of showing allegiance to Zanu (PF).
“The situation is terrible here. We are on holiday but they are coming to our houses forcing us to buy the Zanu (PF) cards. They also told us to assure them that Zanu (PF) will not lose in the forthcoming elections,†said a teacher at Gombakomba secondary school.
“They (war veterans) have all the names of teachers at our school and they have made sure that everyone has a Zanu (PF) card,†said another teacher at Dangare primary school.
The Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) president, Takavafira Zhou, confirmed that his office had been receiving complaints from various teachers in schools.
“This has been happening in Masvingo too. Teachers are living in fear. They have no option besides buying Zanu (PF) cards for their safety,†he said. Zhou said his organization would meet the Minister of Education David Coltart over the harassment of teachers.