66 Zanu-PF councilors reinstated as teachers

The Public Service Commission (PSC) has come under scrutiny for allegedly reinstating 66 teachers elected as local authority councilors in the 2023 harmonised elections, a move critics say contravenes the Constitution of Zimbabwe.

Under Section 200 (3) and (4) of the Constitution, civil servants are required to resign from government service when assuming political office. The law prohibits public service employees from acting in a partisan political capacity while holding office or standing as candidates for election.

A source within the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education claimed that many of the reinstated teachers have not been reporting for work, yet continue to draw full salaries. The source said the arrangement has increased workloads for teachers left to cover for absent colleagues.

Artuz President Obert Masaraure condemned the practice, describing it as irresponsible and a drain on treasury resources already stretched thin. "When civil servants opt to take up political office, they must be automatically delisted as civil servants. The constitution grants both political rights and a nonpartisan civil service," he said.

The reinstatement was outlined in a PSC memo authored by then Secretary Dr Tsitsi Choruma and addressed to Permanent Secretary for Education Moses Mhike on 23 November 2023. Choruma instructed that the 66 teachers, who had resigned to assume council positions, be reinstated immediately, while days absent after their deemed resignation should be recorded as unpaid leave.

The matter came to light after 15 councilors who were not reinstated sought similar treatment. Their request, submitted on 7 October 2025 by Special Adviser to President Mnangagwa Joram Gumbo, was rejected by PSC Chairman Dr Vincent Hungwe, who cited the Constitution and emphasized that reinstatement of elected officials was prohibited.

Prominent reinstated teachers include Euphrasia Ruvai, wife of Masvingo Minister of State Ezra Chadzamira; Lyllett Makomeke, Teachers 4ED Masvingo Province chairperson and Bikita Schools Inspector; former Bikita RDC chairperson Benjamin Masakadze; and Admire Matutu, a teacher at Zvomupungu Primary School in Mwenezi. Opposition-affiliated teachers who lost in the elections, such as Emmanuel Punungwe of Chikomba, were also reinstated.

Masaraure and PTUZ President Dr Takavafira Zhou criticized the PSC's actions, describing the reinstated teachers as unprofessional and a threat to the integrity of the education sector. Zhou added that these actions tarnish the image of teachers and compromise schools' primary functions as centers of learning.

The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education declined to confirm the allegations. When approached for comment, PSC Secretary Sibusisiwe Zembe did not respond.

The controversy has reignited debate over the need for strict enforcement of constitutional provisions governing civil servants' political participation, with education stakeholders calling for uniform application of the law to prevent similar incidents in the future.