Teachers cry foul

Tawanda Mangoma in CHIREDZI
The Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) has sought Government intervention in a case in which liquidated McDowell’s International is reportedly deducting money from over 600 teachers whom they claim borrowed during the Zim-dollar era. McDowell’s International , a Masvingo-based money lending scheme, was placed under judicial management in 2012, after the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe withdrew its lending licence over cases of illegal money lending. Their operations were closed while owing more than $12 million to over 20 000 investors who were members of the pyramid scheme.

PTUZ secretary-general Mr Raymond Majongwe yesterday said they sought clarifications from the executor of McDowell’s, Ms Sitshengisiwe Msiza, over the impasse. He said teachers were frustrated by the continued deductions from their salaries. Mr Majongwe said it was important that a letter written to them by Ms Msiza had been copied to Government officials. The letter read: “The debtors of McDowell’s International whose salaries have been affected by those deductions have been coming to our offices and all those affected have had their payments amounts to agreed levels.

“These said clients, civil service members, borrowed monies from McDowell’s International (Private) Limited on their own and signed their forms to authorise McDowell’s to institute deductions. What is strange in this process is the way Mr Raymond Majongwe, a third party to the whole process, tackles the case. If Mr Raymond Majongwe has clients he is representing he is free to visit our offices and verify the authenticity of our deductions.”

Mr Majongwe said their members were continuously approaching them to register complaints over the deductions.

“We are just delighted that McDowell’s now know that there is an entity called PTUZ that has serious and great exceptions in the way they contacted their business,” he said.