Teachers Seek High Court Order Compelling Zanu-PF To Comply With Order Barring School Children From Rallies

The Amalgamated Rural Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (Artuz) has filed an urgent application at the Masvingo High Court seeking an order to compel Zanu-PF to comply with a High Court order from Justice Joseph Mafusire barring it from forcing school children to attend its rallies. Artuz has accused Zanu-PF of defying the order since the day the party filed an appeal at the Supreme Court. In a statement, Artuz and legal watchdog Veritas said,

..the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ), together with our partners filed an urgent application in the Masvingo High Court under Case No. HC 297/18 which seeks to ensure that Zanu-PF and the Ministry of Education comply with the order granted by the High Court in HC 263/18 on 28th June 2018 which barred them from doing the following:

a) Asking, encouraging or forcing children in schools from attending political rallies
b) Forcing teachers to attend rallies or to make financial contributions towards rallies.
c) Using school property’ for rallies including school grounds. buses, furniture etc

ZANU PF appealed to the Supreme Court against the order of the High Court on the basis that they are now a reformed party and there is no evidence of them doing these things any more. However, since filing their appeal, ZANU PF has perpetrated all of the violations outlined above. The violations are comprehensively documented in ARTUZ’s latest application (particularly at paragraph 17 with all its sub-paragraphs and Annexes).

…The application also does not have any political agenda. It is purely about protecting the rights of children, teachers and parents…the final order will include a declaratory order stating that NO political parties are allowed to do any of the restrained activities, so that even if there is a change of Government this issue is dealt with once and for all, and our schools remain safe havens for our children to pursue their educational advancement.

 

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