By Obert Masaraure
Yesterday, you answered the call! From every corner of Zimbabwe, from bustling urban centers to the deepest rural reaches, you rose up. The reports are a thunderclap: schools with 54 teachers saw only 10 at work! A rural school with 21 teachers had but one solitary soul within its gates! This is not just a job action; this is a revolution of dignity, and it has begun!
No More Illusions: Unity in Action!
Let no one deceive you with the false promise of “unity” with unions that have long since sold out our struggle! While some cling to the vain hope that their complacent unions will join this righteous fight, we know the truth: some so-called “leaders” have gone to bed with the oppressor! They revel in luxury bought with our suffering, vowing never to disrupt their comfortable betrayals. To unite with such treachery is to betray ourselves! We reject it outright! We will not sell out!
The Only Unity That Matters: In the Staffroom, In the Classroom!
The only unity that will deliver us from this economic bondage is the unity forged in every staffroom, in every classroom, across the length and breadth of this nation! It is the unity of the rank-and-file, the teachers who sell their labor for survival, who must stand as one! Close every school, permanently, until our demands for a fair wage are met! Name and shame these “Zviganandas”—these traitors who fatten themselves on our misery! Dump their sellout unions and join a FOZEU union of choice, for it is through genuine solidarity that we will reclaim our future!
Ndoro’s Humiliation, Our Inspiration!
Let the motor-mouthed Taungana Ndoro choke on his words! He predicted a flop, but instead, he was left with an egg on his face as our job action soared! This is just the beginning, Comrades! Let the inspiring struggle at the University of Zimbabwe ignite an unquenchable fire within us! We will not budge! We will not retreat! We will close these schools and keep them shut until the government is forced to the negotiating table!
Unwavering Support, Uncompromising Demands!
The Federation of Zimbabwe Educators Union (FOZEU) stands ready to provide legal support to every single teacher who participates in this job action! Join a FOZEU union, contribute to our legal fund, and strengthen the genuine teacher trade unions that fight for you!
Our demands echo across the land, clear and unwavering:
* Fair wages for teachers!
* State-funded education for every learner!
* Improved funding for the entire education sector!
We call upon parents and learners to join the “Save Our Education” campaign! Organize pickets at schools across the country! Let your voices be heard until our demands are met!
The People’s Wealth, Not the Zviganandas’ Spoils!
It is an outrage, an unforgivable crime, that Wicknel Chivhayo and Kudakwashe Tagwirei, among other “Zviganandas,” continue to gorge themselves on the nation’s wealth while civil servants starve! This injustice must come to an end!
A Call to All Civil Servants: Join the Revolution!
We call upon all civil servants, including our comrades in the security services, to support this job action by any means necessary! This is not just about teachers; this job action will deliver a fair wage for all civil servants!
Forward, Comrades, to Victory!
Comradely,
Obert Masaraure
Secretary General
Federation of Zimbabwe Educators Union (FOZEU)
+263776129336
obertmasaraure@gmail.com