{"id":326,"date":"2025-05-02T07:32:42","date_gmt":"2025-05-02T07:32:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/?p=326"},"modified":"2025-05-02T09:23:00","modified_gmt":"2025-05-02T09:23:00","slug":"zimbabwean-teachers-unions-decry-austerity-corruption-on-workers-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/index.php\/2025\/05\/02\/zimbabwean-teachers-unions-decry-austerity-corruption-on-workers-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Zimbabwean Teachers, Unions Decry Austerity, Corruption on Workers\u2019 Day"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Heather Buzuzi<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

*HARARE, May 2, 2025<\/em> \u2013 Zimbabwe\u2019s labor movement marked Workers\u2019 Day with fierce condemnation of the government\u2019s austerity measures, rising unemployment, and systemic corruption, as unions and young teachers vowed to resist economic policies they say are crushing the working class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe gather not to celebrate but to mourn the demise of the working class,\u201d Masaraure said. \u201cWe are told by those who are eating that we must starve for our own good. This is an insult.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He slammed Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube\u2019s austerity-driven fiscal policies, blaming neoliberalism for worsening stagflation\u2014a crippling mix of inflation and unemployment. \u201cThe government is killing a dead economy,\u201d Chere said, demanding expansionary measures to revive industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Corruption scandals involving high-ranking officials further drew fury, with Chere alleging that billions meant for economic recovery are being siphoned into private pockets. \u201cCapital flees corruption,\u201d he said. \u201cYet workers are taxed into poverty while the elite feast.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Echoing Chere\u2019s outrage, ARTUZ Secretary for Young Teachers Takemore Mhlanga\u2014a dismissed educator now in exile\u2014lamented the erosion of workers\u2019 dignity after 45 years of independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWorkers have lost hope in their motherland,\u201d Mhlanga said in a statement. \u201cWe are underpaid, dismissed for demanding fair wages, and criminalized for survival.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite his forced exile, Mhlanga pledged to escalate the fight for labor rights, framing the struggle as both local and international. \u201cYoung teachers must resist or perish under capitalism,\u201d he declared, rallying workers with the slogan: Shinga Mushandi Shinga<\/em> (Stay Strong, Worker).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statements come amid growing unrest over Zimbabwe\u2019s economic collapse, with teachers and civil servants repeatedly striking over salaries eroded by hyperinflation. Critics accuse President Emmerson Mnangagwa\u2019s administration of prioritizing IMF-backed austerity over social protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As unions vow mass mobilization, analysts warn of heightened tensions. \u201cWhen workers are pushed to the brink, resistance becomes inevitable,\u201d said economist Farai Mutambanengwe. \u201cThe state must choose between reform and repression.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For now, Zimbabwe\u2019s laborers signal no retreat. \u201cWe have nothing left to lose,\u201d Chere warned. \u201cThis fight is ours to win.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Heather Buzuzi *HARARE, May 2, 2025 \u2013 Zimbabwe\u2019s labor movement marked Workers\u2019 Day with fierce condemnation of the government\u2019s 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…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":328,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/QFGzTsfkX7Hn35S57pcWQWQSX7BBzmEz5UjPtkVU.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=326"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/326\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":334,"href":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/326\/revisions\/334"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}