HOME Affairs and Cultural Heritage minister, who also is Zanu PF Mashonaland Central provincial chairperson, Kazembe Kazembe, has courted the ire of former workers at Jumbo Mine in Mazowe who are clamouring for a stake in the mine which closed almost a decade ago.
The Mzi Khumalo-owned Metallon Gold’s unit, Jumbo Mine, closed in 2016. The mine is in Mazowe, Mashonaland Central province.
The South Africa-based mining magnate offered the group’s employees a stake in the mine to offset salary arrears of about US$18 million.
The ex-mine workers reportedly organised themselves into mining syndicates and have been extracting gold at what is believed to be one of Zimbabwe’s largest gold deposits.
However, the workers are up in arms with Kazembe and former Mines and Mining Development minister Zhemu Soda who are said to be eyeing a stake in the vast gold fields.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa recently reassigned Soda from the mines portfolio to the Housing and Social Amenities ministry.
Kazembe and Soda, who are top politicians in Mashonaland Central, are being accused of allegedly dispatching their frontmen to the mine in a bid to grab it.
The workers are appealling for government intervention following the latest standoff.
- NoViolet Bulawayo’s new novel is an instant Zimbabwean classic
- Jah Prayzah, Zanu PF rekindles ‘lost love’
- Bank workers appeal to Ncube for tax relief
- Indosakusa marks 21-year anniversary milestone
Keep Reading
Jumbo Mine combined workers and contractors committee secretary Knowledge Rutavi told NewsDay that the former employees have put their fate in government’s hands.
“Politicians and some greedy Cabinet ministers want to benefit at the expense of the mine workers who were left penniless when the mine closed down,” he said.
“We are for the government initiative that seeks to make the mining sector the backbone of the country’s economy and subsequently, achieve the envisaged upper-middle-income economy by 2030.
“But the incessant interference by the Cabinet ministers and some politicians who want to corruptly reap benefits from Jumbo Mine will put the whole initiative off the rails.”
Kazembe reportedly tried to engage the ex-mine workers last weekend, but his overtures were turned down as no one attended a meeting he called at the mine.
Kazembe, who did not respond to inquiries during the week, issued a statement after the visit to the mine.
Kazembe told reporters who travelled with him to the mine that a multi-pronged approach to address the mine wrangle would result in a win-win situation for all stakeholders.
He said there were “different categories of people at the mine” including former mine employees who have “outstanding issues with it”.
“They do not seem to have anyone to turn to at the moment as it is not clear who actually owns the mine. No one seems to be taking care of the workers’ welfare. They do not have electricity, clean water and some of their children are not going to school,” he said.
Kazembe promised that the police, who are under his department, would deal with the situation.
“The ministry has directed that corrective measures be taken before mining operations resume. The police, as mandated by the Constitution, has been tasked to enforce the law. A lot needs to be addressed so that the people of Jumbo can be assisted.”
Kazembe also revealed that he would engage colleagues from the Mines ministry to understand the situation at the mine.
Soda could not be reached for comment.
