Teachers in Zimbabwe are angry that soldiers and police this month got a higher pay rise than they did.

Teachers and civil servants were awarded 17.5% pay rises this month following an agreement in May.

Soldiers and police also got pay rises of up to 22.5%, but the main Zimbabwe Teachers Association (ZIMTA) says the hike should have been the same across the board.

Fraying tempers

“Should teachers be in the military or be led by the military to be heard,” ZIMTA said in a statement.

It condemned “the lack of seriousness and commitment by this Government” and warned of “serious consequences”.

Tempers are fraying ahead of elections set for July 30, which will see President Emmerson Mnangawa, who took power last November, face his main rival Nelson Chamisa of the Movement for Democratic Change Alliance.

Rigging fears

Though this election has seen almost none of the violence that has marred previous elections in Zimbabwe, there are still fears that there may be rigging and that Mnangagwa has an unfair advantage.

Civil servants form a key constituency of Zimbabwe’s voting public. The 100 000 or so teachers at state-run schools make up the bulk of the civil service.