Together with Chivi South MP Ivine Dzingirai and one Mazumbe, Mzembe recently clashed with the gold mining giant amid claims of bribery and deceit. Mazumbe, who is said to have already declared himself the manager of the mine, was ordered by the court to vacate the guest house that he had forced himself into.
High Court Judge Mwaira said the mine grab was unlawful. Part of the judgment reads, “Mzembi and company should allow Renco officials to land at an airstrip at the mine for purposes of accessing and collecting gold bullion. They must not interfere with the operations at the mine. Dzingai is ordered to vacate the guest house at the mine”.
Last week Mzembi claimed that he was offered $100,000 by the mining company’s management as a bribe, but sources say this was dismissed by the judge. Renco Mine is being represented by Advocate Thabani Mpofu while Johnathan Smakange of Samkange and Venturas is standing for Mzembi.
Meanwhile, it has emerged that the recent industrial action was stage-managed by politicians attempting to take over the mine. Villagers in the nearby Nyajena communal lands were given food, money and transport to stage an all-day vigil at the mine demanding “better wages”.
The villagers agreed because they are not happy with the way Rio Zimbabwe had treated them. After mining gold since 1979, the mine has not ploughed back profits into the surrounding community. The access road from Masvingo is in a bad shape.“The workers never went on strike it was a case of us villagers going to the mine and disrupting operations because we had been promised money,” said one of the villagers, Leonard Munyama.
Mzembi claims that the mine has not complied with indigenisation mining laws and accuses the management of neglecting workers by not improving their working conditions and salaries. “As MP I have an obligation to represent the people who voted me into power,” he said. MDC-T Masvingo provincial spokesman Harrison Mudzuri said politicians should take their hands off the mine to allow management and workers to solve their problems if it is purely a labour issue.
Post published in: News