By Heather Buzuzi
*HARARE, May 2, 2025 – Zimbabwe’s labor movement marked Workers’ Day with fierce condemnation of the government’s austerity measures, rising unemployment, and systemic corruption, as unions and young teachers vowed to resist economic policies they say are crushing the working class.
In a scathing address, Robson Chere, the Secretary General of the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ), declared the day a “funeral” for workers’ livelihoods, accusing the government of imposing starvation policies while looting national resources.
“We gather not to celebrate but to mourn the demise of the working class,” Masaraure said. “We are told by those who are eating that we must starve for our own good. This is an insult.”
He slammed Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube’s austerity-driven fiscal policies, blaming neoliberalism for worsening stagflation—a crippling mix of inflation and unemployment. “The government is killing a dead economy,” Chere said, demanding expansionary measures to revive industry.
Corruption scandals involving high-ranking officials further drew fury, with Chere alleging that billions meant for economic recovery are being siphoned into private pockets. “Capital flees corruption,” he said. “Yet workers are taxed into poverty while the elite feast.”
Echoing Chere’s outrage, ARTUZ Secretary for Young Teachers Takemore Mhlanga—a dismissed educator now in exile—lamented the erosion of workers’ dignity after 45 years of independence.
“Workers have lost hope in their motherland,” Mhlanga said in a statement. “We are underpaid, dismissed for demanding fair wages, and criminalized for survival.”
Despite his forced exile, Mhlanga pledged to escalate the fight for labor rights, framing the struggle as both local and international. “Young teachers must resist or perish under capitalism,” he declared, rallying workers with the slogan: Shinga Mushandi Shinga (Stay Strong, Worker).
The statements come amid growing unrest over Zimbabwe’s economic collapse, with teachers and civil servants repeatedly striking over salaries eroded by hyperinflation. Critics accuse President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration of prioritizing IMF-backed austerity over social protection.
As unions vow mass mobilization, analysts warn of heightened tensions. “When workers are pushed to the brink, resistance becomes inevitable,” said economist Farai Mutambanengwe. “The state must choose between reform and repression.”
For now, Zimbabwe’s laborers signal no retreat. “We have nothing left to lose,” Chere warned. “This fight is ours to win.”