It has also emerged that ZMDC has also failed to honour its promise to pay workers their outstanding salaries.
A spokesman for the workers, who refused to be named for fear of victimization, told The Zimbabwean some workers are still on unpaid leave while those at work were being paid paltry salaries of less than $100 a month.
“We are failing to buy food and other necessities. School children are the worst affected because most of them have stopped going to school as we cannot afford the fees,” he said.
ZMDC chairman Goodwils Masimirembwa confirmed that no production was taking place. “We are just draining water from the shafts which had been badly affected by flooding because nothing was taking place for a long time, “ he said. “We need about $100 million dollars to get the mines going.”
He insisted that: “Since we moved in we have tried our level best to clear debts and among them are the workers’ salaries.” But investigations have revealed that the two mines have a total debt of $30 million – including $5 million owed to ZESA.
The two mines were forcibly taken from self-exiled Zimbabwean businessman Mutumwa Mawere after he was specified by the government. Justice minister Patrick Chinamasa then appointed Arafas Gwaradzimba as administrator
Post published in: Business