By A Correspondent- Nurses at St Alberts Mission Hospital, Mt Darwin, were reportedly threatened by Zanu-PF youths and State spy agents after notifying the district medical officer Kelvin Mupunga last week of their intention to down tools starting yesterday.

The nurses had, through the Muzarabani/centenary District Health Workers Union told Mupunga in a letter on Friday that they shared similar grievances with fellow nurses from public hospitals who had joined the nationwide strike.

A health worker who preferred anonymity for fear of victimisation said Zanu-PF youths have been threatening the nurses to abort their planned strike action.

“They were threatened by CIOs and Zanu-PF youths at the weekend. They were intimidated through a landline 0662102423,” the official said.

The district’s nursing officer and Zimbabwe nurses association district chairperson Michael Kangundu refused to comment, referring questions to Mupunga.

Mupunga said he was yet to assess the situation, but claimed all nurses reported to work, dismissing the claims that they had been intimidated.

“The nurses have come to work. I received their letter on Friday and forwarded their grievances to the province the next day for onward transmission because the issues raised are beyond my capacity,” he said.

Constituency legislator Tapera Size denied that his youths were threatening the nurses with unspecified action if they joined the nationwide strike declared by their association.

“Those people are even surprised and asking where the information is coming from,” Size said.

“You are saying they used a landline? Whom have you communicated with? There is no any youth going out, and secondly, in centenary there are no landlines. even at St alberts, so where did the landline come from?”

In their letter to Mupunga, the nurses wrote: “It is with deep regret that we inform you that we will be withdrawing our services at St alberts Mission Hospital starting on Monday (yesterday).

“We share the same grievances with all other health workers countrywide who are currently incapacitated due to eroded income, while our decision may seem harsh, we feel it is the only way our genuine concerns may be taken seriously.”