by Innocent Mujeri
The leader of the little known opposition party, Transform Zimbabwe (TZ), Jacob Ngarivhume, is inciting teachers to embark on mass job action to force the Government to pay them in United States dollars, the Harare Post has learnt.
A source who spoke to this publication on condition of anonymity, revealed that Ngarivhume held a meeting with the Secretary General of the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ), Robson Chere, early this week where the possibility of a mass job action by teachers was discussed.
“Ngarivhume and Chere held a meeting on Tuesday this week and discussed that teachers should be key stakeholders of the #31July Movement, a subversive group which is trying to unconstitutionally unseat the Government through violent protests. Ngarivhume proposed to Chere that teachers should down tools until their salaries are paid in United States dollars. Ngarivhume also advised Chere that teachers unions should all boycott salary negotiations with Government until the Government agrees to pay teachers US$520 or its equivalent in local currency,” said the source.
The source further confided in this publication that Chere supported Ngarivhume’s proposals and promised to engage with other teachers unions such as the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) and the Zimbabwe Teachers Association (Zimta) so that they could all be involved in the mass job action.
Ngarivhume further told Chere that the campaign led by the #31July Movement and supported by all teachers would force parents to withdraw their children from schools until teachers’ demands were met by the Government.
This campaign, the source said, included paying some students to record videos of them doing some mischievous acts to portray schools as lawlessness zones in the absence of teachers. This will then force parents to withdraw their children from schools citing lack of supervision by teachers.
In the same meeting, Chere revealed to Ngarivhume that most of ARTUZ’s programmes were being financed by the MDC Alliance Treasurer General, David Coltart in partnership with other anti-Government organisations.
Ngarivhume is facing charges of inciting the public to violently demonstrate against Government on 31 July this year. He is out on bail and he is still inciting people against the Government.
