Sunday, 25 May 2025

TEACHERS FUME AT ED'S DJ : HE IS NOW A VISITOR AT SCHOOL

Physical Education and Mass Displays teacher, David Masomere who has become part of President Mnangagwa’s state functions and rallies is now more of a visitor at Ndarama High School where he is employed, investigations by The Mirror have shown.

His 34 lessons a week have been redistributed among other teachers who are not only frustrated but demoralised by the huge workloads and the special treatment that Masomere gets.

Masomere who is now untouchable, is still on Government payroll although Public Service normally ceases a teacher’s salary after a few days’ absence. A teacher is retired from civil service on medical grounds after 90 days of absence.

Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education Spokesperson, Taungana Ndoro however said the allegations that Masomere is not coming to work are not true. He said he had been told by the Provincial Education Director (PED), Shylatte Mhike that Masomere is teaching every day.

Ironically as Ndoro spoke, Masomere was not at school. He was part of an advance team for President Mnangagwa’s Culture Month Launch in Chiredzi.

Mhike told Masvingo Mirror that she tasked the District Schools Inspector (DSI), Ishmael Chigaba to verify the matter and he found out that Masomere signed a work register every day.

Masomere switched off his mobile phone went contacted for a comment by Masvingo Mirror.

Masvingo Mirror observed that on Tuesday, Masomere who was driving his unregistered Toyota Hilux Double Cab arrived at Ndarama High at 9.40am. School lessons start at 7:30am. He was met by the head in the car park. From the Car Park he went to the administration block for a few minutes and then went and sat in the sun with another teacher. After about 20 minutes he left the school premises and headed for Chiredzi.

He was in Chiredzi from Tuesday and on Thursday he was on ZTV at Mnangagwa’s function.

Masvingo Mirror investigations established that he has not been to Ndarama since the opening of the second term. Each time reporters called and asked to meet him, he would say that he was in Harare.

Teachers and other staff at the school who spoke on condition of anonymity said Masomere only comes to Ndarama when he has a contract to provide entertainment during civics and he will be in the company of musicians from Harare.

Sources said Masomere stopped coming to work during the 2023 elections campaign.

“The Ministry is not telling the truth if it says Masomere is coming to work. Teachers are required to sign daily attendance registers every morning and if Ndoro is honest let him produce the attendance register for Ndarama High. Masomere has not signed for a long time now and if there are signatures then there is a crime being committed somewhere,” said a teacher who declined to be named.

The Mirror has also established that most of the time Masomere is found at the Minister of State for Masvingo, Ezra Chadzamira’s office at Benjamin Burombo or he is a hanger-on at State functions. He was spotted last week driving a top Provincial Education Officer’s official vehicle last week.

Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (Artuz) president Obert Masaraure said Masomere’s case is that of a ghost worker on Government’s payroll. Masaraure added that Matongo should be held accountable.

“The country won’t be built by slogans but by people who actually work. We have seen incapacitated teachers being dismissed from work when they have genuine reasons. The Public Service Commission (PSC) should look into this matter and the school head should be held accountable,” said Masaraure.

A labour law expert who spoke on condition of anonymity said that Masomere should have been removed from Government payroll long back. The expert added that Government only enforced its laws on opposition members. Masvingo Mirror

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