For schools like Esikhoveni primary and secondary in Umzingwane districts have closed with even the headmasters not reporting for duty. At Mvuthu primary and secondary schools in the same districts, only the headmasters and a few senior teachers turned up but no lessons have been conducted with pupils seen milling around nearby shops.
Other schools in the province such as Manama High school, Mwele, Bungwe and Wanezi schools are all on strike without any learning going on.
- Manicaland
In Chipinge district headmasters have been summoned to a meeting where they are reportedly being told to intimidate teachers who are on strike and to submit their names to the central intelligence organisation. All these are attempts to get teachers back on work.
In some schools, ZANU PF militias are intimidating teachers who are not in their classes accusing them, of rebelling against President Mugabe.
- Mashonaland West
In Hurungwe west, RTUZ members were confronted by ZANU PF militias who threatened them with violence if they continued visiting schools and mobilising teachers for the strike.
- Mashonaland east
At Nyamashato secondary school in Murehwa district, mid-year examinations scheduled to start today (5 July 2016) have been indefinitely postponed.
In Mudzi district teachers are being intimidated by suspected state agents moving in unmarked Ford ranger vehicles that if they do not report for work they will be dismissed and dealt with in 2018.
- Midlands
In Mvuma district Public Service Commission inspectors were collecting names of absent teachers and threatening those at schools not to engage in the industrial action.
In Mberengwa, most schools were without teachers with students going back home. In Gokwen district, schools like Satengwe primary have consistently recorded 0% turn out since yesterday (4 July 2016). In Silobela some teachers have gone to engage in gold panning to raise cash to survive with their families.
- Matebeland North
In schools like Lukhozi were abandoned with no sign of life as teachers and pupils failed to turn up for school today.
- Mashonaland central
Individual schools cannot be mentioned to protect individual members who have supplied information and are living in constant fear of their life.
- Masvingo
Overall turn out for the province is at 19% for the schools that RTUZ teams were able to access. The team was picked up for questioning in Mwenezi when they were leaving Muchakata secondary school by police in a white Madza truck and we have since called them off from the exercise for their safety.
The impact of the strike has crippled the normal school curricula and this falls squarely on government’s failure to pay teachers their full salaries. As RTUZ we are committed to fighting for a pro-poor education and call on government to prioritise education ahead of luxuries such as hotel stays, foreign travel, top of the range vehicle and needless jankets. We also call on government to reign in corrupt officials and to account for the looted US$15 billion.



