(Pictured: Workers have allegedly not received their pay for more than a year, leaving them hungry and incapable of providing for their families)SANYATI – Workers at the Sanyati Agricultural Rural Development Authority (ARDA) estate have been unpaid for 13 months.
In recent interviews, the workers alleged that they were last paid in 2008 and
most of them had spent the rest of 2009 struggling to make ends meet.
The estate has a total workforce of more than 100 employees, most of whom are housed at the estate compounds at Sanyati growth point.
Some workers have accused estate management of corruption, alleging that they have been selective in the salary payment process.
No money, crime escalates
The prolonged non-payment of workers’ salaries by the estate has resulted in an increase in crime. An employee of the estate, Brighton Murima, said that he had gone for more than a year without pay and ended up stealing estate assets to make ends meet. He was later arrested and fined. Murima took his case for non-payment of his salary to the labour court. This has led to the management victimising him and ordering his eviction from estate accommodation.
Murima has accused the estate Manager, Douglas Chitsiko, and a Ms Cetshwayo,an accountant at the estate, of being responsible for his victimisation.
An investigation by the Zimbabwean has revealed that pilfering estate assets is now rampant at Sanyati ARDA estate. Some unpaid employees have been taking aluminium irrigation pipes to manufacture utensils for resale. The situation has been compounded by lack of production.
Out of more than 100 hectares of fertile farming land, only 10 hectares are currently under cultivation. The rest of the land is lying idle.
Workers have alleged that the estate is mismanaging funds being generated from operational businesses such as the abattoir, guest house and butchery which are being leased to various clients at Sanyati growth point. Rentals of at least US$10 a month per household are being charged to tenants and employees who occupy the estate houses.
The estate abattoir is functioning on daily basis. US$15 is paid for each beast slaughtered.
The Zimbabwean was told that in 2008 the then-estate Manager and bookkeeper were involved in the “burning” of funds. Allegations of corruption include selling personal items to the estate by senior management staff and looting of green mealies.
Other charges include making cash requests for wages in 2008 from head office and writing personal cheques as repayment which were then banked into the estate’s ZB bank account, and hiring a tractor from COTTCO company without filling in hiring forms in 2009.
Personal slaves
“People here at ARDA have become personal slaves of the manager who has instead bought himself a T35 truck while the rest of us are struggling,” complained one employee.
When contacted for comment, ARDA General Manager, Willard Mbona, showed us a thick file which he claimed contained information about goings on at Sanyati estate. However, he did not want to give any more information.
Mbona wanted to know who had leaked information to the press. He was unwilling to give his side of the story.
Tapiwa Zivira, GAPWUZ Information Officer, said that the goings on at Sanyati ARDA estate came as a shock. He said it was not only a violation of workers rights, but a serious case of human rights abuse.
“We implore all the farmers that are not paying their workers to start recognising the country’s labour laws so that we can move forward as a nation since agriculture is the backbone of our economy,” said Zivira.
Post published in: News