By Tambanavo Chamanyawi (chamanyawi@gmail.com)
A lethal verdict was slapped on school going age kids in Zimbabwe by Zanu PF. The ruling party which for years basked in the glory of providing quality education to every Zimbabwean has of late poisoned their impressive record.
What really went erroneous? Zanu PF's immoral guidelines saw the country's economy take a tail-spin, ditching every worker into abject poverty. Teachers were not spared. In reaction the educators stopped functioning, leaving kids to take the knock. This is very sad. This is against the 1980-1990s background where Zanu PF literally forced everyone to school, colleges and universities. My generation actually received modest pay-outs for being at a tertiary institution. The government also provided free accommodation, meals, and bed linen.
It was illegitimate in Zimbabwe to send a learner home for failing to pay school fees. At primary school no one ever talked about fees, except for a $10 building fund.
The Zanu PF government by then celebrated and promoted education at all costs. Now, all of a sudden they moved swiftly to switch-off that light which was the source of brightness to Zimbabwe. The question now is, Ko vakarasika papi?
Where did they go wrong?
Raising questions and piling demands alone is not enough. The issue which should pre-occupy everyone should be; Where to from here? This blame game is useless.
We can rant and rave about the ills which were visited upon us by Zanu PF, but that would not extricate us from the predicament we found ourselves in.
The noble call for teachers to resume work by Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, as the inclusive government try to put the country back on track cannot be ignored by anybody with brains in his skull. This is not the time for cheap point scoring. This is not the time for being negative. Zimbabwe needs no antagonists at the moment, but nation builders.
Let's rally behind the inclusive government and put back Zimbabwe on track. Let's sacrifice NOW for Zimbabwe. Grumbling and sabotaging will take us to a worse situation that what we are now. Raymond Majongwe seems to have missed it this time. Koworasika papi. (Where are you getting it wrong?) This Thomas Mapfumo impersonator must appreciate that we are in the same boat in the midst of an ocean and we will all go down if we fight. Bhora pasi Majongwe, pfavira ngoma usiku hurefu
Pachishona tinoti gore jena chirega kuvhaira unotoregwa ushe nedema.
He is behaving like a stray soldier, by continuing to be combative in the trenches even after an inclusive government is in place.
Tsvangirai came out supportive of the civil servants' cause and went a step further by offering them US$100 for now. This is equivalent to R1000. This offer is 1000 percent more than what the Mugabe government was giving civil servants.
Instead of expressing appreciation, Majongwe opted to be 'an instant hero' by being the first one to take spot-shots at Tsvangirai. Does Majongwe expect Tsvangirai to find "diesel in Chinhoyi" over night?
He even exhibited his poor monetary sense by demanding a monthly salary of US$2300 for teachers. Even South African teachers working for a government with a sound economy are not getting even half of that amount.
SA teachers get between R6 000 to R11 000 and college and university lecturers get between R12 000 and R18 000, way below what the belligerent Majongwe is craving for.
Medical doctors in South Africa hospitals are not even earning that. I am sure Majongwe is now failing to appreciate the value of money due to his easy access to enormous donor funding.
Zimbabwe brood cannot continue to take punches for crimes committed by Zanu PF. We expect Majongwe to understand this. Instead of working towards lessening the already dreadful situation in schools, Majongwe want to maintain his relevance/significance by eternally punishing kids in the name of fighting for better salaries for teachers. Majongwe is out of order. He needs to be over-ruled. We can't afford another day of schools closure. We can't afford to breed half baked graduates in these modem times, simply because VaMajongwe varamba kuti zvikoro zvivugwe.
I am alive to the fact that we are in a democracy, but Majongwe's destructive democracy would not benefit anybody.
Majongwe can't be allowed to continue holding our kids as sacrificial lambs. We can't as a nation forfeit the future of our offsprings to the altar for his expediency.
There is no reason which justifies starving kids of education. Not even one. Never.
Teaching is a calling, specifically to offer service and never a money making venture. One does not burn the whole house to get rid of a rat. Even if it is a snake.
Tongai Moyo aka Dhewa even echoed the same sentiment. He questioned if it was logical to sell the stadium simply because the soccer ball became deflated.
Maitiro ako awa chinja Majongwe…
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