The Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) has lodged a formal complaint with the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC), accusing the Public Service Commission of systemic human rights violations that it says contributed to the tragic death of a primary school teacher who resorted to artisanal mining to survive.
The late Progress Makamani, a teacher at Dune Primary School in Buhera district, lost his life on June 9, 2026, when an artisanal mining shaft collapsed while he was illegally panning for gold.
Makamani had turned to the hazardous informal activity in a desperate bid to supplement his meagre government salary, according to the complaint.
ARTUZ argued that Makamani's death was not an isolated accident but rather the consequence of prolonged economic deprivation faced by thousands of public servants whose salaries fall far below the cost of living.
The union's latest Basket of Needs report estimates that a teacher requires at least US$1 200 per month to maintain a basic standard of living, a figure that dwarfs current public service earnings.
The complaint, filed under Section 243(1)(f) as read with Section 85(1)(d) of the Constitution, names the Public Service Commission (PSC) as the respondent and alleges three major constitutional breaches.
The union argued that the PSC has failed in its statutory duty under the Public Service Act to provide fair conditions of service and safeguard the welfare and dignity of its employees. According to the union, the persistent payment of poverty wages has directly displaced workers into dangerous survival strategies.
The union also alleged a violation of Section 65(1) of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to fair and reasonable remuneration.
“Salaries that fall significantly below the Basket of Needs deny workers the ability to live in dignity,” the petition read. The union said the Commission has exposed public servants to foreseeable life-threatening risks by maintaining employment conditions that make survival on an official salary impossible.
“The Respondent (PSC) remains in continuous breach of Section 65(1) of the Constitution by failing to provide fair and reasonable remuneration. Salaries that fall significantly below the Basket of Needs deny workers the ability to live in dignity and undermine their constitutional right to fair labour standards,” the petition read.
“The tragic death of Mr Progress Makamani demonstrates the fatal consequences of systemic economic deprivation and constitutes a serious infringement of the constitutional right to life”.
The ARTUZ requested the ZHRC to launch a public interest investigation into what it describes as "slave wages" paid to public servants.
The union wants the Commission to establish the relationship between sub-poverty remuneration and the dangerous survival strategies that civil servants are being forced to adopt.
They also called for a review of exploitative deductions, including the Government Employees Mutual Savings (GEMS) scheme, which continues to erode already inadequate incomes. Teachers, nurses, and other civil servants increasingly find themselves trapped between professional obligations and the daily struggle for survival.
ARTUZ has urged the ZHRC to recommend structural reforms that restore the dignity, welfare, safety, labour rights, and socio-economic security of all public servants.
“The tragic death of Mr Progress Makamani should not become another forgotten statistic. It should serve as a catalyst for meaningful reforms to ensure that no public servant is ever forced to risk their life merely to survive”.
The ZHRC has yet to respond to the petition.