The incident involved employees of China-Africa Sunlight Energy, one of the 20 companies controversially issued with Special Grants to explore and extract both coal and coal-bed methane gas in the wildlife rich Hwange–Gwayi area.
According to local sources, trouble started when the Chinese workers ganged up and blocked the police from arresting one of their colleagues accused of assaulting a driver.
“When the driver was assaulted, he reported the case to Dete Police Station. When the police came to arrest the suspect , one of the Chinese hurled insults at them and threatened to shoot if they arrested the suspects,” said a worker at the company, who refused to be named for fear of victimisation.
After firing several warning shots in the air, the police managed to subdue the Chinese and proceeded to arrest the culprit, who last week appeared before a Hwange magistrate facing assault charges.
Chinese nationals operating in the country have been accused of exploiting and ill-treating their local employees, flouting labour regulations by physically assaulting workers, underpaying them and sexually abusing female employees.
A wildlife conservationist who spoke to The Zimbabwean said there had been increasing use of gunfire in the Gwayi conservancy by the Chinese miners.
“Gunfire affects both tourists and wildlife. We are worried with this continuous use of firearms in the area,” said the conservancy operator.
No comment could be obtained from Dete police over the incident.
Post published in: News