By A Correspondent- Public Service Minister Paul Mavima has accused western governments of sponsoring teachers to demonstrate against the government.

Mavhima told Voice of America’s Studio 7 on Wednesday, that the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) a teacher representative body, was being funded by some unnamed donors outside the country to incite civil unrest.

He said that despite the government’s best efforts to ensure that teachers were well-paid, teachers’ unions did not appreciate the efforts. 

“Some teachers’ organisations such as ARTUZ do not care about the government’s efforts to address their concerns.

What they are concerned about is to criticise the government despite its efforts to improve the welfare of teachers.

They do this in order to get funds from the donors to promote violence.

What we know is that foreign countries are funding them to destabilise the country,” said Mavhima.

ARTUZ Secretary-general Robson Chere denied the allegations saying that his membership constituted a significant number of teachers in the country. 

“We wish to categorically and unequivocally posit that ARTUZ is a progressive revolutionary teachers’ union formed on the behest of perennial abuse of teachers in Zimbabwe since time immemorial.

ARTUZ was not formed to go to bed with the employer, but to further the interests and welfare of teachers and learners in Zimbabwe. That is our sacred moral and constitutional duty. We will serve,” he said.

The government has on several occasions accused civic society groups of receiving funding from the West in a bid to pursue a regime change agenda.

Mavima said the government was satisfied with its workers’ salaries in which the least paid was earning ZWL$30 000, which translates to US$ 187 per month.