News / National
Villagers to pay $10 for Heroes Day commemorations
22 Jul 2017 at 05:32hrs | Views
GOVERNMENT has ordered villagers, resettled farmers and civil servants in Manicaland to contribute various sums of money each ranging between 50c and $10 towards the Heroes Day commemorations slated for next month, NewsDay heard yesterday.
A memo posted to all schools by the district administrator for Mutasa, Tendai Kapenzi, states that teachers and other ordinary civil servants are supposed to contribute $2 each towards the annual celebrations that are meant to honour those who made sacrifices in Zimbabwe's liberation struggle.
"The district is now busy preparing for the afore-cited event in tandem with our national calendar. We do hereby request for donations in cash or kind," Kapenzi wrote in his letter to school heads dated July 7, 2017.
"Kindly be advised that the holding of the 2017 Heroes commemorations is around the corner, as such, preparations for the occasion have started across the district."
Kapenzi added: "Therefore, we are requesting for donations as follows: Head office, $3 (each), other officers/teachers $2, office orderly/driver $1, households/communal, $0,50c, A1 farmers $3, A2 farmers $10. Small-scale farmers eg Tsonzo, $5 and business community, open."
The move has rattled some teachers' representatives such as the Amalgamated Rural Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe leader Obert Masaraure, who has accused government of abusing its underpaid members to fund "a Zanu-PF function."
"The Heroes celebrations have been turned into a Zanu-PF thing and to expect civil servants who are underpaid to fund this, is being cruel. We will resist this," Masaraure said yesterday.
A memo posted to all schools by the district administrator for Mutasa, Tendai Kapenzi, states that teachers and other ordinary civil servants are supposed to contribute $2 each towards the annual celebrations that are meant to honour those who made sacrifices in Zimbabwe's liberation struggle.
"The district is now busy preparing for the afore-cited event in tandem with our national calendar. We do hereby request for donations in cash or kind," Kapenzi wrote in his letter to school heads dated July 7, 2017.
Kapenzi added: "Therefore, we are requesting for donations as follows: Head office, $3 (each), other officers/teachers $2, office orderly/driver $1, households/communal, $0,50c, A1 farmers $3, A2 farmers $10. Small-scale farmers eg Tsonzo, $5 and business community, open."
The move has rattled some teachers' representatives such as the Amalgamated Rural Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe leader Obert Masaraure, who has accused government of abusing its underpaid members to fund "a Zanu-PF function."
"The Heroes celebrations have been turned into a Zanu-PF thing and to expect civil servants who are underpaid to fund this, is being cruel. We will resist this," Masaraure said yesterday.
Source - newsday
