AMALGAMATED Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (Artuz) president Obert Masaraure has applauded courageous members of his association and labour rights lawyers for their unwavering support in the fight for the right to education while defending the country’s democratic space.
Speaking recently in an interview with ZimRights on #MemberShipTuesday, where he was honoured with the US Ambassador’s Human Rights Defender Award, Masaraure said the honour was not his alone.
He hailed Zimbabwean teachers describing them as committed workers.
“This is a brilliant team that has been working so hard to fight for the right to education for our learners in Zimbabwe. This is a team that has been working so hard to defend our democracy as a nation,” he said.
“So, I am proud to just be the face of that big group of fighters. Some of them have lost employment, some of them have been in prison, while some of them are always appearing before the courts of law, being accused of frivolous offences, among other things.
“I am glad that the ambassador recognised the work that they do as a team. And when I received the award, it was on behalf of such a group of amazing fighters.”
He said Artuz had endured years of serious persecution from the time they were into student unionism.
“We were still students, faced with bans, arrests, I think and even getting suspended from college, from the university. We have been arrested, we have been abducted, we have been tortured,” Masaraure said.
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“I think they have done literally everything that you can imagine to us. But every time they hit us, our resolve been stronger. You know, you are always scared of things that have not been done to you.
“We have been through hell and back, but we are more determined to push back against autocrats and to push back against the looting of our wealth, to push back against the accumulation of wealth in the hands of a few while the majority of our people are pushed to the margins of the corner.”
Masaraure said the persecution they went through had shaped them to be the fighters they are.
“[It’s difficult] to really understand the magnitude of the fight that is ahead of us. So, in a way, it has made us better citizens, who are prepared to defend their country, even with their lives, if the need arises,” he said.
Masaraure was awarded the United States Ambassador’s Human Rights Defender Award which honours rights activists who face persecution because of their work, fighting for the right to education, fighting for labour justice.
