GOVERNMENT has, through the Local Government and Public Works ministry, ordered all mayors and council chairpersons to attend an intensive three-day Zanu PF indoctrination programme at the Chitepo School of Ideology.
The training will start on Wednesday and end on Friday.
According to a letter dated August 16, signed by a Local Government official identified as K Ncube, the training aims to equip local authorities with the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively deliver services to their communities.
“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,” the letter read.
The ministry, in partnership with the Chitepo School of Ideology, will create a cohort of local authorities that are not only effective in service delivery, but also loyal to the country’s ideals and vision.
“In this regard, it is pertinent to attend training at the Chitepo School of Ideology at Rainbow Towers from August 21 to 23,” the letter further read.
Since its establishment, critics have accused the school of promoting partisan ideology and indoctrination.
The Chitepo School of Ideology is a political institution named after Herbert Chitepo, a prominent Zimbabwean nationalist and former chairperson of the Zimbabwe African National Union (Zanu).
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Established in 2013, the school is responsible for imparting ideological training to party officials and other stakeholders, but has been used to indoctrinate civil servants albeit the fact that they should be apolitical or should not wear a political hat when discharging government duties.
The school’s curriculum focuses on topics such as patriotism, national security and the history of Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle.
Its primary objective is to inculcate a strong sense of national identity and loyalty among participants, mostly aligned to the ruling party’s ideology.
Government argued that the school played a crucial role in fostering a sense of national unity and purpose.
