Minister of Public Service, Labour, and Social Welfare, July Moyo, has revealed that social welfare workers are vetted before employment as some may seek to undermine the government.
According to Moyo, the government is closely watching public servants who he claimed had failed the test and are “working with the enemy.”
These sentiments come as some public service officials and workers have been sent to the Chitepo School of Ideology, which government critics describe as an attempt by the Zanu PF-led government to indoctrinate citizens by feeding them the ruling party’s propaganda.
Speaking during a drought mitigation meeting held in Bulawayo with District Development Coordinators (DDCs) and social welfare officers on Sunday, the minister said drought mitigation was a chance for public service workers to prove themselves by coordinating with the government in its efforts to alleviate hunger.
The minister mentioned this while instructing DDCs to hire local trucks in their areas rather than trucks from outside their jurisdictions.
He stated that DDCs must discuss such planning in their meetings instead of leaving it to social workers, claiming, that “some of them are already highly compromised.”
“I know it,” claimed the public service minister.
He added that the Director of Social Development in his ministry, Tawanda Zimhunga who was present at the meeting, was also aware that some social workers were ‘compromised.’
“(Zimhunga) knows what I know and people sitting here, you know, I don’t work without knowing each one of you and the best way I know people like you is to get you vetted.”
Moyo added: “I can look into all these faces. You know, I vetted you and I know some of you failed that vetting and some of you are doing very well.”
The minister said the ministry has also vetted “all” social welfare officers.
“We have vetted you. I know those who we must keep a very tight watch on because they are not working in the interests of the government of Zimbabwe, under the leadership of our President (Emmerson Mnangagwa),” Moyo said, to which some observers claimed that being watched sounded like a threat.
Moyo, however, said the drought mitigation efforts were an opportunity for members of the public service officials to strengthen their bond with the government.
“But we are giving you a chance to acquit yourself. As for the DDCs, I know I sent you to Chitepo (School of Ideology) and Zambia. I was trying to clean you from you failing to be vetted properly,” said the minister.
“I hope that you came out of there with the proper orientation and we want to have people who are patriotic who want to save their country and save their people.”
The minister stated vetting is part of the instruments that the government uses to monitor public workers.
“Especially in times like this, some of you will work with the enemy to undermine this programme of the government. So let’s go and work as a team. It’s teamwork, it’s a whole government approach,” Moyo said.
Earlier in his presentation, the minister said when the government declares a state of disaster, that disaster can also be “finished by enforcement,” where authorities make people obey a law or a particular situation happen or be accepted.
“The powers of enforcement are in the Civil Protection Act. for those who don’t know it, go and read it, we can enforce! I am a Minister of Public Service and I know how to enforce, I can assure you,” he said.
“But it’s even worse when I’m enforcing something that has been declared by the president. So because people must survive, these people who are here can make or break the survival of people in Bulawayo, Matabeleland North and South.”
Moyo added: “You are the people who can make them survive, or you are who can destroy them and I can assure you that Ministers of State and permanent secretaries will enforce, they must enforce because we have been put in these leadership posts.”
