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NewsDay

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Kadoma chamber secretary held hostage

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KADOMA — Disgruntled former workers of the now-defunct Kadoma City Council beer marketing subsidiary, Kadoma Marketing (Kama), stormed the local authority’s civic centre yesterday afternoon where they held chamber secretary Willard Mangwengwende hostage demanding payment of their retrenchment packages. Mangwengwende had to be rescued by the police after over 40 former Kama workers retrenched early […]

KADOMA — Disgruntled former workers of the now-defunct Kadoma City Council beer marketing subsidiary, Kadoma Marketing (Kama), stormed the local authority’s civic centre yesterday afternoon where they held chamber secretary Willard Mangwengwende hostage demanding payment of their retrenchment packages.

Mangwengwende had to be rescued by the police after over 40 former Kama workers retrenched early this year picketed his office demanding payment of retrenchment packages and outstanding salaries.

Mayor Peter Matambo confirmed the local authority had not yet paid the workers retrenchment packages.

“Council continues to have a problem with the former Kama employees who are holding on to the keys of beerhalls which we intend to lease so that we can generate revenue and today they came to Town House demanding their money but when I left nobody had been taken hostage,” Matambo said.

Kama workers’ committee chairperson Godfrey Manika told NewsDay Mangwengwende left the office under police escort after the workers blocked the main entrance demanding an explanation.

“We have been sleeping in beerhalls for a long time and these guys seem not to care about our plight because apart from the money they owe us in unpaid salaries, they are yet to give us our retrenchment packages.

“We are here because we want an explanation on our salaries and packages,” Manika said.

Mangwengwende confirmed that the workers had blocked the passage to his office demanding an audience with senior council officials over salary arrears.

“There was a little misunderstanding. The workers came unannounced demanding for a meeting but unfortunately that could not happen, I tried to give them an update but they refused to listen to me,” he said.