The ruling ZANU PF party’s Matabeleland South province is pushing for the vetting of civil servants upon employment to determine their political affiliation.
The party’s executive made the resolution arguing that civil servants loyal to the party will not sabotage the government.
However, Bulawayo based political analyst Effie Ncube asserted that such a move would be unconstitutional. He said:
The constitution provides for a professional, independent and non-partisan public service that is not aligned to any political party.
Any calls to vet civil servants for political loyalty will be against the constitution and the law.
What the government can re-deploy are senior civil servants like permanent secretaries not teachers, nurses and the like.
ZANU PF’s provincial structures have been conducting preparatory meetings ahead of the party’s annual conference to be held in Goromonzi next week.
The provinces are expected to endorse President Emmerson Mnangagwa as the party candidate in 2023 elections in a move reminiscent of former president Robert Mugabe’s days before he was toppled in a military coup in 2017.