HARARE – The second republic ushered in a new dawn on the disability movement following the employment of a director for disability affairs, an office established according to the Disabled Persons Act of 1992.

The office remained nonexistent until 2018, some 26 years after the act came to full effect.

Persons with disabilities felt this would hasten the implementation of the act even though at the time it had been taken over by events.

Key amongst the things anticipated by the constituency was the mainstreaming of disability across government’s institutions and agencies.

The real challenge following the establishment of the office of the director came to full effect following preparations to the 2023 Senatorial elections.

Events preceding the Electoral College set for August 26 clearly revealed how Dr Christine Peta had become a heavily invested and interested person on who would emerge victorious towards becoming the Senator.

In executing a well-planned mission, it started by reporting the Chief Director for Social Development and Disability Affairs Dr Edmos Mtetwa.

The first letter was written by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare (Masanga) calling for the reassignment of the Chief Director on the grounds that he had created a hostile working environment for Dr Christine Peta.

The letter sent to the Public Service Commission was received on the 25th of July 2023, just a month before elections.

Immediately Christine Peta took over the preparations for the Electoral College which according to law is the prerogative of the National Disability board.

In ensuring systems were dismantled, she ensured the National Disability Board Chairperson danced to her tune when in actual fact, according to the Disabled Persons Act, the director being the CEO of the secretariat follows instructions from the board.

The major bone of contention arose from the fact that Edmos Mtetwa, the Chief Director with a disability had refused that Annah Shiri and Ishmael Zhou as interested candidates be banned from contesting in the Senatorial elections.

In actual fact, Dr Peta preferred Nasper Manyau and Taurai Kadzviti.

No wonder even after the two had lost, she facilitated meetings in preparation that the two sue citing electoral irregularities when in actual fact Nasper Manyau and Taurai Kadzviti had signed documents allowing Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to proceed with the counting of votes after Electoral College delegates had cast their votes.

Realising that the initial plan had backfired to engineer a win for her preferred candidates, it was time to accelerate efforts by cracking the whip on employees with disabilities particularly targeting the Chief Director.

A month after the 2023 Senatorial elections, Dr Edmos Mtethwa received his 1st suspension letter on grounds of allegations of misconduct as alluded to in the complaint letter written by Dr Christine Peta received on the 25th of July.

The suspension was effected on the 19th of September to the 18th of December Pending investigations. Earlier that month, Nyeperai Shumba, the Deputy Director to Dr Christine Peta also with Visual impairment like the Chief Director had written to the Public Service Commission citing unfair treatment from his immediate boss Dr Peta.

The commission acknowledged receiving the letter but unlike suspending her as was the case with Dr Edmos Mtetwa, that was not done.

A week before the lapse of Dr Mtetwa’s first suspension letter, another one immediately came on the 11th of December extending the original suspension from the 19th of December 2023 to the 18th of February 2024 all signed by Dr Choruma from Public Service Commission.

The reasons for extending the suspension were likened to the initial letter where this was done to avoid the accused interfering with investigations.

This meant the Chief Director would not be entitled to a salary for 5 consecutive months and in the entire suspension period, there was no formal hearing instituted.

Five days after the initial suspension, February 23, 2024 a third suspension was issued to be effected from 26 February 2024 to 25 May 2024 under the same conditions as stipulated in the previous 2 suspension letters.

In a similar fashion the conditions that applied, previously continued to stand as communicated and having signed for the 3rd Consecutive time.

A sign of unrelenting efforts to decisively deal with an already vulnerable employee with a disability whose subordinate used the presence of administratively powerful senior government officials to advance, entrench and cement an ableist agenda portraying those with disabilities not fit for purpose. This depicting the scary skeletons that exist amongst those in the echelons of power.

Three days after the 3rd suspension letter was issued, on the day when the suspension was to be effected which is 26 February 2024, another suspension letter came, now extending the dates which were initially set 26 February 2024 to 25 May 2024 were instead moved to 27 February 2024 to 26 May 2024.

What leaves a lot to be desired is how a respected government institution, the Public Service Commission could be used as a tool to further suppress, infringe and violate rights of workers especially one with a disability ranked amongst senior government officials.

It became clear that this had become a point of no return with those behind cracking the whip doing so without cessation in pursuit of an agenda to shove those with disabilities at the periphery.

Barely a month undergoing the third continuous series of suspensions, a letter was issued on the 28th of March stating that the Chief Director for Social Development and Disability Affairs had been reinstated and entitled to salary for the duration of his suspension.

This marked a sign of relief in anticipation that the use of power to test one’s strength and influence in decisively dealing with opposing opinions had come to an end.

Little did it dawn upon Mtetwa and the disabled at large that something more sinister would befall this constituency.

Barely 5 days after the reversal of the series of suspension, another letter was issued, this time it was not a suspension letter as it had become synonymous with the commission.

This time the intent as planned for months was laid bare. The desire of the commission was now to retire the Chief Director and most probably the only one elevated to such a senior position.

The reasons for retiring him was that they had realised he is not fit for office.

As these Shenanigans continue to unfold, what remains to be answered is how sincere is ED’s led administration in its mantra of leaving no place and no place behind when those appointed to serve and better run administrative issues find themselves entangled in cracking the whip and advancing a brazenly clear ableist agenda characterised by unfair treatment.