Zimbabwe Deputy Health Minister Says Nurses Should Not Dance In Uniform After Parirenyatwa Cash Controversy

Health and Child Care Deputy Minister Sleiman Timios Kwidini has criticised nurses dancing in uniform, saying the behaviour undermines the dignity and professional standing of healthcare workers. Kwidini’s remarks follow a viral controversy involving Tinotenda Tungwarara, daughter of businessman and presidential adviser Paul Tungwarara, who handed out US$100 notes to nurses during an event at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals.

Videos circulating on social media showed uniformed nurses performing the popular “Borrowdale” dance to music by sungura musician Alick Macheso, while Tinotenda selected dancers she believed performed best before rewarding them with cash.

Speaking during International Nurses Day commemorations at The Avenues Clinic this week, Kwidini urged nurses to maintain professional decorum while in uniform.

“Ngatitambei chibhasikoro tisiri mu uniform. Zvinotibvisa chiremera,” Kwidini said.

Translated from Shona, the statement means:

“Let us not dance to music while in uniform. It is degrading.”

His comments drew attention to growing debate around professional dignity, economic hardship, and public conduct within Zimbabwe’s struggling healthcare sector.

The incident sparked widespread criticism online, with many Zimbabweans describing the scenes as humiliating and disrespectful to healthcare professionals already battling difficult working conditions and low wages. Critics said the spectacle reduced trained medical professionals to entertainers performing for money in front of political elites and wealthy figures.

Others described the scenes as symbolic of deepening inequality in Zimbabwe, where essential workers continue to struggle financially while politically connected individuals publicly display wealth. Several social media users accused authorities of allowing the erosion of professional standards and dignity in public institutions.

The controversy comes at a time when many nurses in Zimbabwe continue pushing for improved salaries and working conditions. Healthcare workers reportedly earn an average of around US$262 per month in hard currency, an amount many say is insufficient to meet rising living costs. Labour analysts say worsening economic pressures have left many civil servants vulnerable and financially desperate, contributing to situations where professionals may feel compelled to participate in public displays for financial reward. Healthcare unions have repeatedly warned that low salaries, staff shortages, and deteriorating hospital conditions are fuelling frustration within the sector.

The Parirenyatwa incident has reignited wider debate about political patronage, public image, and the treatment of professionals in Zimbabwe. Critics argue that while philanthropy and donations to hospitals are welcome, public acts that appear to turn struggling workers into spectacles risk damaging morale and public respect for professions such as nursing. Others defended the nurses, arguing that economic hardship leaves workers with limited choices and that blame should not fall solely on individuals trying to survive difficult conditions. Meanwhile, Kwidini’s remarks appear to signal growing concern within government circles over the optics and public fallout generated by the incident.

Sleiman Kwidini