Deputy Minister for Higher Education Reinstated
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has reinstated the deputy minister in the ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science, and Technology Development, Simelisizwe Sibanda, with immediate effect.
According to a statement by the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Dr. M Rushwaya, this decision follows “representations, profuse apologies, and commitments to abstain from similar transgressions in the future.”
Sibanda was dismissed from his position last month due to leaked audios where he requested the headmaster of a Bubi school to transfer a Shona-speaking teacher, who lacked proficiency in the local language, to another school.
The audio sparked varied reactions, with some supporting the deputy minister’s stance on deploying teachers at the Primary level in accordance with the local language. However, others deemed his remarks inappropriate and degrading to the teacher. Furthermore, some criticized him for potentially inciting tribalism between the Shona and Ndebele communities.
