Wives of men employed by Duration Gold at Vumbachikwe mine in Gwanda yesterday morning took to the streets for the second time in weeks demonstrating over unfair treatment of their husbands by the company’s management.
The women protested for close to three hours demanding to be addressed by mine authorities over outstanding wages due to their husbands.
As they did last week, the women sang derogative songs telling mine management that their husbands are hungry and failing to perform their matrimonial duties at home. Some deliberately danced exposing torn underwear claiming their husbands are even failing to buy them underwear and sanitary wear because of none payment of wages.
By the time ZimEye left the scene, the mine authorities had not attended to the women but mine security and members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police kept a close eye.
ZimEye.com is reliably informed that the women ended up being dispersed by the police without anyone addressing them and as they left threatened to return tomorrow and afterwards every-day until their demands are met.
Meanwhile, reports from within the mine claim that a delegation from the Ministry of Mines visited the company last week to follow up on the skirmishes. The delegation is reported to have ordered the high gold output producing company to settle the wages immediately as it had no financial problems warranting failure to settle wages.
Efforts to get a comment from the Financial Manager Ollie Iversen at Duration Gold Head Office Bulawayo failed as the reception claimed it was not taking any calls from media houses.
Vumbachikwe mine has for years been one of the best operated mines in the country under Forbes and Thompson before it was taken over by Duration Gold a company owned by mining tycoon, Allan Brent Dolan who owns several other gold mines throughout Africa.
Dolan has a long history of reportedly taking over huge mining operations in African countries, involving governments into corruption activities at the mines before closing them down and leaving with all the riches taken from there.
Dolan is said to be involved in the hotly disputed ownership of the mine with Forbes and Thompson after allegedly reneging on some of the clauses on the agreement of sale.
Since he took over the mining operation, the company is on a downward fall with workers going months without pay and infrastructure not being maintained regardless of the high productivity levels. Several suppliers have not been paid by the mine resulting in supplies being stopped.
In 2014 operations at the Vumbachikwe were shockingly stopped by the Environmental Management Authority after the mine failed to adhere to minimum environmental provisions on waste disposal. Failing environmental tests to that level is a thing that has never happened in its century long mining history.
The workers’ representatives at the mine refused to talk to the media claiming fear of being dismissed. They referred all questions to the Mine Workers Association of Zimbabwe General Secretary in Gweru who was not available at the time of going to press.