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

Ranger killed by elephant in Kariba

Published

2 weeks ago

March 14, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

A 62-year-old ranger, Josphat Mandishara, was tragically killed by an elephant in Kariba yesterday.

Mandishara, who worked for the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks), was on patrol in the Gatche-gatche area with fellow rangers and police officers.

At around 10 pm, Mandishara returned to the harbor where their boat was docked, and that’s when he encountered the elephant. The elephant charged at him, causing fatal injuries. His colleagues were nearby, resupplying at the Gatche-gatche Irrigation Scheme.

Mandishara’s body was taken to Kariba District Hospital for a post-mortem, and the incident was reported to the police.

ZimParks has sent a team to manage the problem elephant and prevent similar incidents in the future.

The Director General of ZimParks, Prof. Edson Gandiwa, and his team have sent condolences to Mandishara’s family, friends, and colleagues. Mandishara will be remembered for his dedication to wildlife conservation in Zimbabwe.

National

ZIMRA customs officer appears in court for criminal abuse of office

Published

2 months ago

February 3, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY STAFF REPORTER

A Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) customs officer, Phillip Kuvenga, has been accused of criminal abuse of office for allegedly assisting in the importation of banned motor vehicles.

Kuvenga, 28, who is stationed at Victoria Falls, allegedly received documents from clients, completed valuation sheets, and carried out the valuation process. However, he is accused of endorsing different chassis numbers to deceive his supervisors during the validation and approval process.

After obtaining approval, Kuvenga would capture the correct chassis numbers in the ASYCUDA World System. He would then alter or replace the documents submitted earlier to his supervisors.

The offense came to light when a motor vehicle that had not yet arrived in Zimbabwe was found to have been already registered. A thorough check by ZIMRA led to Kuvenga’s arrest.

Kuvenga appeared in court on February 1, where he was denied bail by Magistrate Gift Manyka. He is expected to appear in court again today for another bail hearing.

National

Retailers send Mnangagwa SOS as shops continue shutting down over operational woes

Published

2 months ago

January 27, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY ZIMLIVE

The Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers (CZR) has implored President Emmerson Mnangagwa to intervene and save the sector which has seen various formal retail and wholesale businesses closing shop countrywide due to operational challenges.

In a statement on Sunday, CZR president Denford Mutashu said the continued closure of formal retail and wholesale businesses is a direct consequence of the tough economic environment that has consistently failed to support formalised sector players who face stiff competition from informal businesses and vendors the majority of whom have no tax obligations to deal with.

Mutashu said his association was concerned that authorities continue to downplay the crisis.

“The recent closure of several outlets under the N. Richards Group, coupled with Spar Zimbabwe’s painful decision to shut down Queensdale Spar, Choppies Zimbabwe’s exit from the market, and Mahommed Mussa’s significant reduction of shop space by 60%, highlights the growing crisis.

“As the representative association for these and other brands, CZR is alarmed that while formal businesses face enormous challenges, the authorities continue to present a different picture of the operating environment,” he said.

Given the situation, Mutashu said, only President Mnangagwa can rescue the troubled sector.

“CZR therefore calls for urgent intervention from His Excellency, President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, to rescue what remains of the formalized retail and wholesale sector,” said Mutashu.

He said the sector was in urgent need of rescue.

“While CZR acknowledges the continued support from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, it is clear that the root causes of these challenges are fiscal and monetary in nature. These require urgent and decisive action to ensure the survival of formal businesses.

“CZR therefore appeals to the Presidium to prioritize interventions aimed at saving jobs and mitigating the ongoing wave of shop closures and retrenchments,” he said.