ZANU PF Seeks 25% Share of Nurse Training Places
By Staff Reporter
MASVINGO- ZANU PF officials in Masvingo have called for the party to be allocated a quarter of nurse training places at hospitals across Zimbabwe, with the proposal potentially giving party structures a direct role in recommending candidates for admission. The demand was raised during a Joint Provincial Council meeting in Masvingo on Thursday, chaired by ZANU PF provincial chairperson Rabson Mavhenyengwa.
According to reports from the meeting, officials proposed that the 25% quota be channelled through ZANU PF Members of Parliament, meaning prospective student nurses would seek recommendations from party legislators. The proposal comes amid continuing concerns over access to nursing training in Zimbabwe. The Ministry of Health and Child Care has previously acknowledged challenges around limited training places and reports of people paying money to secure admission. The government has responded by decentralising recruitment and introducing measures intended to increase local representation.
The Ministry's current recruitment programme provides opportunities through central, provincial, district and mission hospitals, with the 2027 intake comprising January, May and September entry points. At the Masvingo meeting, Provincial Medical Director Dr Amadeus Shamhu told party officials that he did not control the selection of trainee nurses, saying recruitment was handled by the Health Services Commission.
ZANU PF provincial secretary for health Dr Tapiwa Murambi urged Shamhu to raise the matter with Health and Child Care Minister Douglas Mombeshora through Government channels, while he would pursue the issue through the party. “The allocation began in 2011, and we know that you don’t have much say on it. Engage the Minister when you meet him on Government platforms,” Murambi said.
“As the party’s provincial secretary for health, I engage the minister because he was our secretary for health in the Politburo. We will raise up the matter with him.” Masvingo South MP Tanatsiwa Mukomberi was also reported to have been among the officials pushing for the proposed quota. The meeting further resolved that the issue should be taken up with Mombeshora.
The proposal comes against the backdrop of intense competition for limited nursing training places. The government has previously said more than 100,000 aspiring trainee nurses apply for places nationally each year, while available capacity has been estimated at about 1,200 places. At some major training institutions, thousands of applications compete for a small number of places.
The government has also moved to decentralise recruitment and, in 2025, announced that 75% of recruits at nursing schools should come from the district or province where the institution is located. The measure was presented as part of efforts to improve local representation and address concerns over manipulation and corruption in recruitment. The latest proposal would introduce a separate political allocation if approved.
Officials at the Masvingo meeting also reportedly called for a quota of residential stands to be allocated to ZANU PF. The nursing proposal has yet to be shown to have been approved by the Ministry of Health and Child Care. The current official recruitment information continues to direct applicants to apply through designated training institutions and warns against third parties claiming to recruit on behalf of the Ministry.
ZANU PF nurse training quota
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