BULAWAYO - Financially-troubled New Zimbabwe Inter Africa News Agency (New ZIANA) Bulawayo offices were shut down last week after failure to pay water and electricity bills.According to documents in our possession, Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) officials disconnected electricity from the groups offices last week over a US$72 bill, while Bulawayo City Council disconnected water supply over an outstanding US$578 bill.
When this reporter visited New ZIANA offices along Samuel Parirenyatwa Street and 11th avenue, the doors were locked with chains and padlocks. A security guard manning the premises said the offices have been locked for the past week. One of the workers blamed the management for being reluctant to settle bills, leading to the closure of the offices. Most of the workers have since been transferred to a small Matabeleland North office in Hwange, while some are to be retrenched.
Telephone lines were also cut and we have been working without any resources. The management is responsible for all this mess, they dont pay bills, said one of the workers, who spoke on condition of anonymity. He said workers had not been paid
for the past three months.
Contacted for comment, New ZIANA Group Administrator, Noel Nhira said Who said that? Those offices have not been closed – its just a temporary measure. Recently New ZIANA property in Bulawayo was put up for auction after the company ignored demands to pay their debt to a security company.
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