By Staff Reporter
BULAWAYO — A Tsholotsho teacher Bridget Dhliwayo, dismissed from the Public Service for allegedly participating in trade union activism has approached the Labour Court challenging her discharge, in a case labour activists say exposes the growing collision between workers’ rights and state disciplinary power in Zimbabwe.
Documents filed at the Labour Court in Bulawayo show that Dhliwayo is appealing against her dismissal by the Public Service Commission (PSC), arguing that her constitutional rights were violated after she allegedly protested over poor salaries and deteriorating classroom conditions.
In a disciplinary determination dated April 10, 2026, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education found Dhliwayo guilty of misconduct under the Public Service Regulations.
The ministry accused her of “holding a placard written ‘we demand a fair wage; we say no more to slave wages’” while inside a classroom at Zibungululu Secondary School in Tsholotsho District.
Authorities further alleged that the placard photograph carried the caption: “Enough is enough guys. Look at the condition of the classrooms.”
The disciplinary letter stated that Dhliwayo also posted the selfie on an Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) WhatsApp group and allegedly failed to conduct lessons between May 13 and May 20, 2025.
“Please be advised that acting in terms of Section 46 (1) (b) of the Public Service Regulations, 2000, as amended, I found you guilty of misconduct,” reads part of the determination.
The ministry added: “This is not the first time that you have been found guilty of misconduct. You have proved to be unrepentant as you have continued to commit offences despite having been given several stern warnings of a stiffer penalty.”
Dhliwayo was subsequently “discharged from service with effect from after duty on 14 May 2026.”
But court papers filed under case number LCB94/26 paint a dramatically different picture.
In her Notice and Grounds of Appeal filed at the Labour Court, Dhliwayo argues that the disciplinary authority “grossly erred and fell into error at law” by concluding that she had abandoned her duties.
She maintains that she conducted lessons in line with her job description but some pupils were absent while others allegedly refused to cooperate.
Her appeal further argues that authorities criminalized constitutionally protected trade union activity.
“The disciplinary authority erred by making a finding that the Applicant was guilty of unbecoming behavior due to her picketing while it is her constitutional right to do so especially regard being had to the fact that she took a picture after work hours which did not impact on the discharge of her official duties,” reads the appeal.
Dhliwayo also disputes the ministry’s reliance on the controversial social media caption.
“The Disciplinary Authority erred in making a finding that the picture had a caption which reads ‘Enough is enough guys, look at the condition of the classrooms’ while no such evidence was ever led and proved,” the court papers state.
The case has now become a rallying point for ARTUZ, which says Dhliwayo’s dismissal symbolizes the wider victimization of teachers demanding living wages amid worsening economic hardship.
In a solidarity mission report released on Africa Day under the banner Operation Dhiginiti, ARTUZ leader Obert Masaraure described Dhliwayo’s case as “a heart-wrenching indictment of the employer’s brutality.”
“Her offense was straightforward and entirely peaceful: she raised a placard demanding a living wage,” wrote Masaraure.
“This act constitutes legitimate, core trade union work explicitly protected by both domestic and international law.
“For this singular act of expressing economic distress, she was summarily discharged from the service,” added Masaraure.
The union says it has since approached the Labour Court seeking Dhliwayo’s unconditional reinstatement.
Masaraure argued that the dismissal violated both Zimbabwean law and international labour conventions, including International Labour Organisation Convention 87 on Freedom of Association, ratified by Zimbabwe in 2003.
He further cited Section 65 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to fair labour practices, reasonable wages and participation in lawful trade union activity.
“The state’s actions also directly contravene Section 65 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe,” Masaraure said.
He accused authorities of weaponizing disciplinary procedures to suppress labour activism within the education sector.
“Statutory instruments cannot supersede constitutional guarantees,” he added.
Beyond the courtroom battle, the case has exposed the deepening desperation among Zimbabwean teachers, many of whom say salaries no longer cover transport, food and other basic necessities.
ARTUZ says Operation Dhiginiti was launched to provide legal defense, material solidarity and economic support for dismissed educators facing what it calls systematic repression.
The union also revealed plans to establish cooperative income-generating projects for teachers across districts and provinces as economic conditions continue deteriorating.
“As part of Operation Dhiginiti’s direct-action framework, the Union continues to encourage members to report for duty only two days per week,” Masaraure said, arguing that full attendance had become economically unsustainable for poorly paid teachers.
“Teachers cannot continue subsidizing a broken system at the expense of their own survival and the welfare of their families,” he added.
Masaraure further linked the labour struggle to the broader political debate around Constitution Amendment Bill No. 3 (CAB3), warning that increased executive power could worsen repression against workers.
“The fight against CAB3 is therefore not merely political, it is fundamentally a struggle for workplace survival, democratic accountability, and the protection of workers’ rights,” he said.
For Dhliwayo, however, the legal arguments are also deeply personal.
According to ARTUZ, despite losing her job, the former teacher remains defiant.
“Her spirit remains unbroken,” Masaraure wrote. “She stands ready to continue the fight for a fair wage and a better Zimbabwe.”
