Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Ziyambi Ziyambi, strongly defended the participation of local councils at the Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology amid criticism from opposition MPs.
He stated that councils had voluntarily attended the sessions, despite the certificates they received bearing the ruling party’s logo.
In August, the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works instructed all mayors and council chairpersons to attend a three-day ZANU-PF program at the Chitepo School of Ideology.
The directive, detailed in a letter from government official Ncube, stated:
“In terms of Section 5 of the Constitution, local authorities are a third tier of government with devolved service delivery mandates. In this regard, they are engines towards the attainment of Vision 2030. It is pertinent to attend training at the Chitepo School of Ideology at Rainbow Towers from August 21 to 23.”
During a parliamentary session, CCC MP Maxwell Mavhunga questioned whether it had become the government’s policy to train opposition members in the values and ethos of the ruling party. Minister Ziyambi reiterated that the councils had willingly chosen to participate in the ideological training.
“Certificates were duly issued by those authorized to sign them upon completion of the course,” he clarified.
MP Edwin Mushoriwa raised concerns about the appropriateness of using taxpayer funds for training unrelated to the councils’ direct responsibilities. In response, Ziyambi argued that the training was open to councils from various parties, and any parties opposing their councillors’ participation should have instructed them not to attend.
“Thirdly, the councillors and the councils themselves reviewed the curriculum and deemed it suitable for their purposes,” Ziyambi added.
MP Joseph Mapiki inquired about the possibility of introducing legislation that would compel all councils to attend the Chitepo School of Ideology, with the threat of dissolution for non-compliance. Ziyambi replied that he would discuss the matter with the Minister of Local Government, suggesting that even parliamentarians should attend the school to learn about the country’s history and ideology.
“I also suggest that all of us here in Parliament should attend the School of Ideology to better understand the history of our country,” he said.
