By Business Reporter-A confrontation between a Chinese mining executive and a Zimbabwean worker has exposed the abusive practices of Chinese companies operating in the country.
Liu Haifeng, an official with Ming Chang Sino-Africa Mining Investments, fired shots during an altercation with Kholwani Dube, an excavator operator after Dube demanded his unpaid wages of $600 at Bijou Farm in Gweru on January 21.
Videos circulating online depict Dube shouting, “I want my money!” before being restrained by several Chinese nationals, one of whom held a gun to his head.
Witnesses reported that the scene escalated into violence, leaving blood at the site.
Ming Chang later claimed that Dube was the aggressor, alleging he threatened supervisors and injured Liu during the clash.
The incident has drawn widespread condemnation.
The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) expressed outrage at the “inhuman treatment” of local workers by Chinese employers, urging authorities to act decisively.
Social media platforms have been flooded with calls for the government to protect Zimbabwean workers from exploitation and abuse.
The Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG) criticized the increasing use of firearms by Chinese nationals to resolve labour disputes, labelling the act “a brazen subversion” of Zimbabwe’s legal system.
CNRG also highlighted a pattern of labour rights violations, including unpaid wages, unsafe working conditions, and disregard for Zimbabwean labour laws.
Despite repeated calls for action, the Zimbabwean government has yet to address the systemic abuses linked to Chinese investments in the mining sector.
A 2024 petition by CNRG urging Parliament to investigate Chinese labour practices remains unaddressed.
Labour unions and advocacy groups warn that continued inaction could worsen tensions, with workers potentially resorting to self-defence in the face of abuse.
The CNRG has called for:
- Accountability: Arrest and prosecution of all Chinese nationals involved in the Gweru incident.
- Firearm Regulation: An inquiry into how Chinese nationals obtain and use firearms in labour disputes.
- Labour Rights Enforcement: Immediate intervention to protect Zimbabwean workers’ rights and restore order in the mining sector.
This is not the first incident involving Chinese employers in Zimbabwe.
In Bindura, two Chinese nationals were deported for severely abusing a mine worker in 2023.
Similar cases across the country have tarnished China’s image as an investor, sparking criticism over the Zimbabwean government’s reluctance to hold these companies accountable.