Teachers’ Union Condemns ZANU PF Plans To Extend Mnangagwa’s Term

The Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) has raised concerns over the resolutions made at the 22nd ZANU PF National People’s Conference, including plans to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term by two years to 2030, the deployment of party-aligned cadres in the civil service, and the fast-tracking of vehicles and motorcycles for party leaders.

The conference took place over the weekend at Mutare Polytechnic in Manicaland Province.

In a statement, ARTUZ said the resolutions are unconstitutional, self-serving, and a threat to the country’s democratic foundation and that they show a deliberate effort to politicise state institutions, including the education sector, for partisan purposes. ARTUZ said:

“Zimbabwe’s Constitution is clear about presidential term limits and renewal through elections, not political conferences. Attempts to alter the Constitution for personal or partisan advantage undermine the rule of law and set a precedent that places the interests of a few above the nation’s collective progress.

“When political actors manipulate constitutional provisions to entrench power, they weaken every pillar of governance, including education a sector that depends on stability, fairness, and institutional integrity.”

ARTUZ warned that the call to deploy “ideologically grounded cadres” within the civil service is particularly alarming.

The civil service, including the teaching profession, must remain professional, neutral, and accountable to the state, not to a political party. The union said:

“Teachers are public servants, not political agents. Turning schools into ideological spaces threatens the neutrality of the classroom, compromises curriculum integrity, and exposes learners to partisan manipulation. Education must be a space of inquiry, not indoctrination.

“At a time when schools across Zimbabwe are collapsing, teachers are earning poverty wages, and millions of children are learning in dilapidated classrooms, it is disheartening that the ruling party’s focus is on political term extensions and luxury vehicles for party elites.”

ARTUZ criticised the government for claiming it lacks funds to pay teachers a living wage of US$1,260, to fund the BEAM programme, or to build schools in underserved areas such as Hopley, while resources appear readily available for political patronage.

The union urged the government to abandon any attempts to interfere with constitutional term limits and to uphold the independence and professionalism of the civil service.

It called for resources currently used for political patronage to be redirected toward education, healthcare, and social protection, emphasising that national development should take priority over partisan consolidation.

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