By Chantelle Muzanenhamo
The Public Service Commission (PSC) has warned of severe consequences for civil servants failing to report for work on Tuesday and Wednesday following a call for a national stayaway by war veteran Blessed Geza.
In a statement released on Monday, the PSC stated that any absence from duty on the specified dates constitutes a dereliction of duty and an act of insubordination. The Commission expressed its concern over recent provocations circulating on social media, urging public servants and citizens to abstain from normal activities on April 22 and 23, 2025.
“The Commission is confident that public servants, who are committed, disciplined, and fully aware of their responsibilities, will not be misled by such reckless and disruptive incitements,” the statement read.
Geza, a former Zanu PF central committee member, called for the stayaway in a YouTube address, framing it as a strategy to push President Emmerson Mnangagwa out of power.
He reiterated his message on Monday, urging Zimbabweans to remain at home until the President resigns, claiming Mnangagwa is unfit for leadership due to vascular dementia and accusing him of engaging in high-level corruption.
This stayaway, according to Geza, represents the final push against the 82-year-old leader, following a previous call for an uprising on March 31 that garnered limited public response and an unintended job boycott.
In response, the PSC emphasized that April 22 and 23 are normal working days, insisting that all public servants, except those on authorized leave, report for duty and perform their responsibilities diligently.
The Commission further instructed accounting officers to ensure attendance registers are maintained and warned that any unsanctioned absenteeism would not be tolerated.
“The work carried out by the Public Service is vital to the delivery of essential services and the advancement of our national development aspirations, participation in any stay-away that disrupts service delivery constitutes a dereliction of duty and undermines national unity,”the PSC stated.
The PSC concluded by calling on all public servants to uphold their commitments and contribute to a prosperous and united Zimbabwe.