13/08/2025
🔥 *“ARTUZ Will Live Forever”: Masaraure Hails Smooth Leadership Transition as He Prepares to Step Down*
In a rare show of transparent succession planning in Zimbabwe’s civic space, Amalgamated Rural Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) President Obert Masaraure has announced that he will step down at the end of his current term paving the way for a new generation of leaders to take the helm of the union he co-founded.
Masaraure, who has been at the forefront of teacher activism and human rights advocacy for years, praised ARTUZ for handling the sensitive issue of leadership transition with openness, “robust debates” and consensus-building, avoiding the pitfalls that have crippled many other organisations.
“Most organisations struggle with the transition from founding leaders to the next generation of leaders. There’s always a feeling that the next generation is not ready, while founders themselves find comfort in being lifetime leaders of their ‘projects’,” Masaraure said.
He declared his full confidence in ARTUZ’s future, saying the union has cultivated “a solid calibre of leaders” over the years, who are prepared to continue championing the rights of teachers and the dispossessed majority.
“I am enthusiastically looking forward to handover to the next generation of leaders. I declare without any doubt that ARTUZ will live forever, genuinely standing for the rights of the teachers and the dispossessed majority,” he added.
Masaraure also extended an open invitation to other organisations struggling with leadership succession, saying ARTUZ’s experience could be a model for smooth and democratic transitions.
As he prepares to exit, the long-serving unionist leaves behind a legacy of defiance against injustice, unwavering advocacy for educators, and a blueprint for succession that could inspire change in Zimbabwe’s civil society.
📲 What do YOU think? Should more organisations in Zimbabwe follow ARTUZ’s model of leadership transition?
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