ZVISHAVANE - The MDC-T is piling pressure on the Zanu (PF) side of the inclusive government to re-open Shabanie and Mashaba Mines (SMM Holdings)s asbestos mines in Zvishavane and save the lives of at least 50 000 former workers, their families and other people who relied on the mine for economic survival.
MDC-T Midlands province deputy organising secretary Felonious Mafusire accused Zanu (PF) of closing the mine to punish Zvishavane residents for supporting the Prime Ministers party.
“These people are being punished for politics,” Mafusire said. “They are paying a heavy price for supporting Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and the party. As MDC-T, we are very concerned because the workers have been reduced to illegal gold panners.”
He added: “Zanu (PF) has a system of creating ghost towns out of viable mining towns. The inclusive government should look into this and act to stop it.” Management had promised to re-open the mine in January but this failed to Materialize, while workers say they had been invited for payment at the beginning of February but this also failed to materialise as they were told to come back on 3 May.
Zanu (PF) stalwart and Minister of Justice Patrick Chinamasa, who has been running the mines through an administrator since seizing them from South African-based businessman Mutumuwa Mawere in 2004, apparently rejected offers from some foreign investors because they were ‘whites’, according to the few workers still at the mine. Chinamasa also rejected offers by Mawere to inject more capital into the mines.
Post published in: Manufacturing