ONE of the country’s leading gold producers Falcon Gold Zimbabwe, owners of Dalny Mine in Chegutu, has filed an urgent chamber application at the High Court after its employees allegedly threatened to take over the mine.
CHARLES LAITON
The 18 employees, cited as respondents in the matter, are alleged to have been interfering with mining activities and influencing other workers to embark on industrial action over salary disputes.
In the urgent application, the mine said: “Despite the involvement of the police, the respondents have vowed to continue with their disruptive activities and to take over the mine from the applicant (Falcon).
“They have suggested that they have political support in doing this.” The employees have since been suspended and disciplinary proceedings against them have been instituted by the mining authorities.
The incident leading to the court application is reported to have occurred on February 23 when the employees allegedly stormed the mining complex and disrupted work.
“They prevented fellow employees from performing their duties and generally disrupted the applicant’s mining activities at the mine. As they did, this they claimed they had taken over the mine,” the mine averred.
The employees are alleged to have continued with their job action the following day resulting in the company making $180 000 losses during the two-day industrial action.
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The firm’s security officer Joseph Matose was allegedly detained by the striking miners on February 24.
The mine also said the workers had since recruited non-employees to beef up their numbers in their activities to allegedly disrupt work at the mine, a development the mine said raised the possibility of violence and destruction of property.
“The applicants’ mining manager was recently assaulted by some of the respondents herein.
“The real danger of violence, therefore, is real in the event that the current unlawful conduct is not halted,” said the mine’s lawyer Nokuthula Moyo in his certificate of urgency filed with the application.
The matter is yet to be allocated a judge for hearing.
