HARARE – President Emmerson Mnangagwa has fired Higher and Tertiary Education deputy minister Simelisizwe Sibanda after he recently directed the transferred of a non-Ndebele speaking teacher who was taking an Early Childhood Development (ECD) class at a primary school in Matabeleland North.

The sacking of the minister was announced in a Monday statement by Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Martin Rushwaya.

“His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe Cde. Dr. Emmerson D. Mnangagwa has, in terms of Section 108 (1a) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe removed Honourable Simelisizwe Sibanda from the Office of Deputy Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development with immediate effect,” Rushwaya said without giving any reasons.

However, the sacking of the top government official follows his controversial directive for the transfer of a non-Ndebele teacher after parents complained over the deployment of the teacher during a visit to Clonnmore Primary School by the ousted top government official.

Sibanda is Zanu PF legislator for Bubi Constituency in Matabeleland North.

During his engagement with teachers and parents at Clonnmore primary school, Sibanda is head fuming and referring to the teacher as uqethu (weed) that should be removed.

“Kindly transfer this teacher with immediately effect,” he said of a teacher could not speak any language besides Shona and English.

Sibanda added, “You know how weed should be treated when people are tilling the land.”

He insisted teachers taking ECD or lower Grades at primary school level should be conversant with local languages.

In latter interviews with the media, Sibanda defended his action saying he was implementing government policy, which states that teachers taking lower primary school classes should be familiar with local languages.

The deployment of non-Ndebele speaking teachers to teach ECD classes in in the predominantly Ndebele Matabeleland provinces has been a sticky issue in a region that continues to register poor pass rates year-in-year-out.

Bubi schools in particular always rank low in the province and in 2021 the schools were the worst performers nationally at all levels.