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Resign If You Are Incapacitated- Headmaster

By Shingirai Vambe.

A teacher in Makoni District survived death by a whisker after a security guard at Dumbamwe Secondary school fired live round towards him at night.

Taurai Gwesu who is stationed at Dumbamwe Secondary school in Makoni District survived a gun fire under unclear circumstances, as the security guard has claimed to have thought it was a thief.

With several cases of theft and robbery being reported and witnessed in Makoni, villagers in the area told Post On Sunday that it was the first time to hear gun fire and they were not aware of the school owning a fire arm.

After several investigations into the matter, issues of bad blood between teachers and the new headmaster at the school known as Violet Dube were revealed.

Violet Dube transferred from Mavhudzi High to Dumbamwe Secondary school early this year and is said to have short changed the school curriculum in the middle of the year pushing teachers to the edge and scrapped off some classes from form 1 upwards.

Leading to the tension Dube is also alleged to have changed her administration upon arrival without the full participation of the School Development Committee (SDC) leading to some members withdrawing from the SDC before end of year school general meeting.

With the current request by teachers to have their salary increased, citing incapacitation, Dube is alleged to have told teachers at her station that if they were unable report for duty due to incapacitation they should resign.

“The Headmaster said this twice during staff meetings, that if we were unable to come to work or report for duty, we are to resign. This was taken down in the minute book and seconded,” a teacher whose name has been withheld said

The rising tensions led to the unearthing that the fire arm used to fire at Gwesu was not licensed.

The matter has since been reported to the police and it is alleged that the police took the fire arm and the matter is being investigated under RRB 19/0/20.

Contacted for a comment Dube said she could only comment after given instruction by her superiors.

Makoni District Schools Inspector Nathaniel Machini, told Post On Sunday that he was not aware of the issues at Dumbamwe neither was he aware of the matter which is before the police.

Gwesu told this publication that he was being attacked for his alignment with the opposition leader Nelson Chamisa, while he alleges that the headmaster is in a relationship with one Makoni Zanu Pf member (name withheld) who went on to make several calls to current and former school employees threatening them.

“I have been attacked by both the security guard at the school after I confronted him over the shooting, the headmaster could only say go and solve your own issues. At one point in time her child poured a bucket of water on me knowing my condition I decided not to argue” said Gwesu.

Having gone to university together with the likes of Job Wiwa Sikhala, Gwesu became a strong Zanu Pf supporter and, trainer and lecturer at Border Gezi National Service. As a professional teacher he said he does not mix politics with his teaching career but does politics in his spare time.

Gwesu however lamented the welfare of teachers as he is failing to afford his child’s special treatment who is disabled as well as deaf and dump, due to poor remuneration.

“You can see how tattered I am, this does not resemble well that I am a teacher, we deserve better and you hear someone saying if you can’t report for work you should resign, it’s so sad” Gwesu said.

After this publication initially posted the shooting incident on social media several messages and comments were posted to Post On Sunday on the character and past experience by other teachers with Violet Dube, who is said to have at one point in time had challenges with parents at Mavhudzi High while students at Rukweza Secondary school called her names.

Beene Hachoombwa, member of United Party for National Development UPND of Zambia, who happen to be following events on the teachers concerns in Zimbabwe said they are dismayed by the Gwesu case being missed by a bullet.

Schools are places for education and not political war ground, this is unchristian and un-African he added.

However rumor also has it that Mavhudzi High headmaster has reached his retirement age and it is anticipated that Dube is likely to fill in the post of the head at Mavhudzi.

Meanwhile Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) Secretary General, Raymnd Manjogwe said, “We are the government; the welfare of teachers should be a priority because all the doctors and professionals in Zimbabwe and across the world came and come from teachers.

“We are in a second republic which said had an open door police, they should listen to our concerns. Teachers are not laborers or farm workers, concerns being raised by government employees teachers in particular are real and should be addressed” Majongwe said.

He further added that we don’t wish to destroy the quality of education in Zimbabwe, no teacher is on strike but the teacher is incapacitated, the closure of schools is not an issue, in 1976 to 1981 schools were closed.

You are worried about school children what of the teacher? Our children should also go to school and we need to pay school fees and we are failing to do that you want us to teach you children what of ours, asked Majongwe.

PTUZ, ZIMTA, ARTUZ, and Zimbabwe Rural Teachers Union President, Martin Chaburumunda utterly condemned Dube’s motive and utterances and said the headmaster is not the employer, he or she is an employee like any other