Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum Special Report Enforcing the Rule of Law in Zimbabwe The Public Service Zimbabwe inherited a non-political civil service. Shortly after Independence, civil servants were encouraged to join Zanu-PF. Cabinet ministers reportedly intervened in appointments, supposedly the sole preserve of the Public Services Commission. More recently, all permanent secretaries have been appointed by the State President. However, with the recent growth of opposition politics, Zanu-PF feared that civil servants might be switching their allegiance to the MDC. From 1 January 2000, SI 1/2000 prohibited civil servants from participating in party political activity. The revised Public Service Regulations1 made it an act of misconduct for any civil servant to be an office-bearer in or even to address ‘any political party, organisation or movement’. However, permanent secretary for Defence Job Whabira - also a member of the pre-electoral constituency Delimitation Commission - was in April 2000 permitted to contest (unsuccessfully) the Zanu-PF primaries. A number of Zanu-PF candidates were civil servants and teachers. They were belatedly required to regularise their position by resigning. Whether they did so was not reported publicly. What has been monitored is the subsequent ‘purging’ of opposition supporters from the public service and police force. From Politically-Motivated Violence in Zimbabwe 2000-2001 (pages 42-4) the most salient cases are repeated below. • The government has suspended the assistant district administrator of Bulimamangwe district and 10 junior employees of the local authorities in Plumtree on charges that they are sympathetic to the MDC. (Source: Financial Gazette 18 January 2001.) • Several civil servants who were suspected of sympathizing with the MDC have been transferred from Matabeleland. Transfers were at the instigation of war veterans who have shut most rural district councils in Matabeleland and barred civil servants from working there. (Source: Financial Gazette 1 March 2001.) • Gabriel Karonga, the MDC vice-chairman for Hurungwe West district, was fired from his job in Mashonaland West after threats by so-called war veterans. (Source: Daily News 21 May 2001.) • Mr. Siambala Bernard Manyena, an executive officer of the Binga Rural District Council, has defied an order from his superiors suspending him from duty over his membership of the MDC. (Source: Daily News 7 June 2001.) • The Deputy Minister of Education said that his Ministry would not provide security to teachers affected by violence perpetrated by ZANU-PF supporters. (Source: Daily News 13 June 2001.) • More than 30 police officers in Mashonaland West province were reportedly threatened with dismissal by allegedly attending a Christmas party hosted by an MDC politician in Chegutu. (Daily News 9 January 2001.) • In July 2001 Commissioner Chihuri told a government newspaper that police who are anti-government and support opposition political parties would be kicked out of the force. An undisclosed number of officers have already been dismissed on those grounds. (Source: Herald 11 July 2001.) To these should be added other examples, including the first female provincial administrator, Angelous Dube, who after two death threats was retired from Matabeleland South at the insistance of ‘war vets’ to the head office Directorship of Research, Policy and Public Relations. The late Minister of Youth Development, Gender and Employment Creation, Border Gezi, told Parliament that ‘if [opposition party supporters] do not want to serve the current Government, 1 SI 1/2000, First Schedule, s20 (p. 62). 27