Tsvangirai engineering split of teacher's union

The Progressive Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe faces an imminent split following a widening rift caused by the organization's allegiance to a faction of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions led by Lovemore Matombo with PTUZ president accusing Tsvangirai of engineering the split.

Disgruntled members are on the verge of forming yet another teachers' union - the Professional Educators' Union of Zimbabwe (PEUZ) set to be launched sometime this month.

A growing number of the PTUZ members are reported to be pushing for an alliance with the George Nkiwane led faction of the labor body but the leadership is said to be in favor of the rival Matombo faction.

Wilson Makanyire, a member of the association who is accused of spearheading the split, said people are free to form their own union but the PTUZ is trying to make it hard for them.

"We have asked them to call for a meeting but they are not interested. We can only solve this matter at a congress," he said.

PTUZ  president Takavafira Zhou said the split is being engineered in Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's office which is backing the Nkiwane ZCTU faction.

"Zanu-PF tried to destroy PTUZ but failed. We cannot be stopped by a mere party that did not take part in the liberation struggle," he said.