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Striking teachers' leader freed
21/10/2002 15:36 - (SA)
Harare - A Zimbabwe magistrate's court on Monday released the leader of a teachers' union that has called for its members to go on strike for better pay, resulting in 627 teachers losing their jobs.
A magistrate said the court's decision to release Raymond
Majongwe, secretary general of the Progressive Teachers Union of
Zimbabwe (PTUZ) was made "in the interests of justice".
Majongwe was arrested last week, the second time in less than a
fortnight. Police alleged he went around schools in Harare urging
teachers who wanted to work to join the strike.
But on Friday the attorney general's office declined to
prosecute Majongwe as it said no offence had been committed.
Police changed their charge to one of behaviour conducive "to
riot, disorder or intolerance", and Majongwe was kept in jail over the weekend.
He is due to appear in court on Friday facing charges of
"invading the rights of others". Those charges, under Zimbabwe's Public Order and Security Act (PODSA), stem from his
earlier arrest.
Last week the government said it would dismiss 627 teachers with
immediate effect for allegedly backing the PTUZ strike, which was
declared illegal.
The PTUZ is demanding a 100% salary increase backdated to
January, and a 100% cost of living adjustment backdated to
June.
A high school teacher in Zimbabwe takes home Z$20 000 a month, much less that other civil servants. - Sapa-AFP
- SAPA
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