National

Hwange coal miner fires workers over salary dispute

Published

2 years ago

March 7, 2023

BY BRENDA NCUBE

A Hwange coal mining company allegedly fired about 50 workers, mostly drivers, after they protested against the unilateral reduction of their wages and poor working conditions.

Turbo Mining, which is linked to businessman Billy Rautenbach and operates in Hwange’s western areas, is said to have wielded the axe on the workers after they staged a protest last Tuesday.

The fired workers were allegedly removed from the company premises by security guards before they were summoned to appear before a disciplinary hearing.

Others said they resigned immediately because they did not believe in the fairness of the company’s disciplinary processes.

Workers are said to have staged a demonstration at the company premises after they realised that their allowances had been reduced to between US$170 and US$180 from US$230 that they had agreed with their employer.

Turbo Mining pays its workers a basic salary of US$86 334 and the US dollar allowances, but the disgruntled employees said their pay had been adjusted without their knowledge.

Charisma Alubi, who said he was one of the drivers that were being victimised for their role in the strike, told VicFallsLive workers were not happy with the way their salaries were being altered every month.

“Our salaries are being reduced every month,” Alubi said.

“We are not getting the amount that we signed for on our contracts.

“The money we are given is not enough.

“We have families that we are taking of. We also need to eat, pay rent and rates. We can’t work for free at Turbo Mine.”

Narrating events that took place on the day the workers were summarily dismissed, said Turbo employees staged a sit-in as they demanded to be addressed by management on the salary discrepancies.

“Drivers on night duty showed up for work, but we didn’t work and that was the same situation with the day shift drivers,” Alubi said.

“We asked for a breakdown of our salaries from the human resources department.

“However, we were chased away by security guards from the company premises and the HR department served us with letters to attend hearings.”

Another driver Norman Chiringa said the protesting workers were accused of embarking on an illegal strike.

“The charges being levelled against us are that we staged an illegal work stoppage after we asked the HR department to give us a breakdown of our salaries,” Chiringa said.

“We wanted to know why we got less than what was stated on our contracts.

“They couldn’t explain the discrepancies between what was on the contracts and the pay we got.

“Some of us resigned the next morning because we already knew the outcome of the hearing, which is getting fired.”

Some of the disgruntled workers claimed that the company fired mostly locals, who were immediately replaced by people from other provinces.

“The staff that has been fired is made up of mostly local residents of Hwange,” claimed Khumbulani Nyoni, a driver.

“After firing us they brought drivers from Chisumbanje and they treat them much better by keeping them on guest houses and they feed them daily.

“The management practices a lot of tribalism.”

Rautenbach also owns GreenFuel, which produces ethanol in Manicaland.

The fired Turbo Mining drivers claimed their employer also failed to guarantee their safety and health.

“Some companies test their workers for diseases caused by coal dust, but we haven’t been tested for a year and some months, we might be dying inside,” said Admire Nyathi, a driver.

“We have a colleague who got sick and went to Harare.

“The company has no clinic on site, no medical aid, even an ambulance to send those who get injured at work to the hospital.

“If you get injured at work you cater for your own medical bills and if you take long to recover the company fires you.

“The company managers don’t know how to run a mine. We do not get safety clothing on time and we run the risk of contracting pneumonia.

“The food we are getting is like that being fed on prisoners. If you ask about money you are called for a hearing and you get fired.”

Efforts to get a comment from Turbo Mining management were unsuccessful as their telephone numbers were being answered.

National

Zimbabwe road traffic fatalities rise to 20 amid recent accidents

Published

3 days ago

August 30, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY STAFF REPORTER

The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has confirmed that the death toll from recent road traffic accidents has tragically escalated to at least 20 individuals in the past few days. This surge in fatalities has raised serious concerns regarding road safety across the nation.

In a statement released today, the ZRP detailed a fatal accident that occurred early this morning at the 246-kilometer peg along the Mutare-Masvingo Road, near Mutendi Complex. A Dragon bus, carrying 20 passengers and traveling from Beitbridge to Mutare, collided with a haulage truck while attempting to overtake. The bus driver swerved back into his lane upon noticing an oncoming vehicle, resulting in a devastating sideswipe that caused timber from the truck to pierce into the bus. Eight people, including the bus driver, died at the scene, and four others were injured in the crash. The injured were transferred to Masvingo General Hospital for treatment.

The ZRP emphasized the alarming trend of road accidents in their statement, noting

that these incidents were predominantly caused by reckless overtaking. “Most of the accidents recorded recently have been due to overtaking errors on the part of drivers,” police officials stated. “We urge all motorists to exercise extreme caution and adhere strictly to traffic regulations.”

This latest accident follows another tragic incident on August 28 involving a Toyota Fortuner GD6 at the 46-kilometer peg along the same road. The vehicle veered off the road and hit a concrete signpost, resulting in four immediate fatalities. This number subsequently rose to six as two more victims succumbed to their injuries after being admitted to Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital.

Additionally, on August 29, a separate accident on the Harare-Nyamapanda Road claimed the lives of seven family members when a kombi they were traveling in lost control during an overtaking maneuver, resulting in an overturn that killed five instantly and two more in the hospital.

National

Tragic attack in Madlambuzi: Five dead as suspected mental patient goes on rampage

Published

2 weeks ago

August 22, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY WANDILE TSHUMA

Police in Madlambuzi, Matabeleland South Province has are a suspected mental patient, Phamani Sibanda, following a violent rampage that left five people dead and two others injured on Wednesday.

According to the police statement, Sibanda (43) allegedly attacked seven people in the village using a Mopani log, a blunt object, and an unknown sharp weapon, targeting anyone who crossed his path.

The victims of this tragic attack have been identified by their next of kin:

Elliot Khupe, 101, a male adult from Bellas Village
Butho Tshuma, 97, a female adult from Bellas Village
Constance Sibanda, 66, a female adult from Bellas Village
Tiffan Surprise Ndlovu, 6, a female juvenile from Bellas Village
Catra Matsika, 72, from Central Village

In addition to the fatalities, two other women, aged 90 and 41, sustained injuries and are currently receiving treatment at Madlambuzi Clinic and Plumtree District Hospital.

The ZRP has underscored the pressing need for community awareness regarding mental health issues. “We implore the public to promptly refer mental patients to medical institutions for treatment and to actively monitor their behavior to prevent such violent incidents,” the statement elaborated. It encouraged community members to report any concerns to the National Complaints Desk at (0242) 703631 or via WhatsApp at 0712 800197, or to approach the nearest police station.

National

US suspends visa processing in Zimbabwe, embassy says

Published

2 weeks ago

August 21, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY REUTERS

The United States has stopped processing most visas in Zimbabwe until further notice, its embassy in the capital Harare said on Wednesday, citing unspecified concerns with the government.

“We have paused routine visa services in Harare while we address concerns with the Government of Zimbabwe,” the embassy said in a post on X. It said the move was not a travel ban and that current visas would remain valid.

The government of the Southern African country did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

The pause took effect on August 7, according to a notice on the U.S. State Department’s website, which said it applied to all visa services with the exception of most diplomatic and official visas.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has restricted travel from a number of African countries, saying it is working to prevent visa overstaying and misuse.

Zimbabwe had a visa overstay rate of 10.57% in 2023, according to a U.S. Department of Homeland Security report.

Starting this week, the U.S. will require visa applicants from Zambia and Malawi to pay bonds of up to $15,000 for some visitor visas. The Trump administration has also paused visa processing in Niger.

Harare resident Angella Chirombo said her 18-year-old son had received a scholarship to do his bachelor’s degree at Michigan State University and had been waiting for a visa interview when the pause hit.

“He was supposed to be in school already. I paid for everything else and was waiting for the visa so I could buy tickets,” she told Reuters.

She said other parents were considering booking interviews at other U.S. embassies in Southern Africa, but that she wouldn’t be able to afford the travel.

“Now they are saying we can go to Zambia and Namibia. I don’t even have money right now and I don’t know where to get this money. They are so many students that have been affected.”