Mugabe has singled out the South African-owned platinum mining company as one of the companies to be targeted first in the Zanu PF indigenisation crusade that has sent jitters among investors.
Shabanie and Mashaba mines, once counted among the world’s top producers of asbestos now lie in ruin after the government grabbed them from Mutumwa Mawere, a Zimbabwean business tycoon now based in South Africa.
“We do not want to be thrown into poverty like they did to Shabanie Mashaba mine workers,” said a 26-year-old wife of a Zimplats miner who wanted to remain anonymous.
“We cannot trust people who have failed in this business before.”
The woman said employees at the mine were comfortable with their working conditions and would not want it to be spoilt by a poorly planned indigenisation programme.
“My husband has worked for other mines before but we never led a life near to the one we have now,” she said.
“We have a beautiful house and now have a car bought with a loan from the company.
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“Without ridiculing Shabanie Mashaba mine workers, we are aware that a lot of them cannot even afford a loaf of bread because of government’s ill-advised interventions.”
Some of the workers who spoke to The Standard said although their working conditions were not ideal, they were better paid than colleagues from neighbouring mines.
They also said they were happy that while employees of other mines lived in squalid conditions, their company built houses for them.
The five-roomed Turf Village houses built by the company for its employees would leave some city-dwellers green with envy.
The houses for low-grade employees have five rooms each, including a kitchen, dining room and three bedrooms.
They also have a laundry room and a cottage with a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and toilet. The conditions get better as the grades go up. All the houses have fitted cupboards and a four-plate stove bought by the company.
“We are not against indigenisation but we are worried that if government comes in as a partner, the current owners may leave, paving way for the collapse of the mine,” an employee who wanted to remain anonymous said.
“Zimplats has done a lot for this community especially by refurbishing schools and building some classroom blocks.
“It also electrified some schools and is supplying others with stationery.”
Some commended Zimplats for building a trauma centre for treatment of light illnesses for both employees and the community and for also donating an ambulance to a local hospital.
Mugabe said Zimplats was externalising its profits and had done little in uplifting the local community.
His sentiments were shared by Nixon Mangowe, a former Zimplats employee who felt the company has not done enough to help the community.
But despite this, Mangowe remains sceptical about a government take-over. “I am not confident the government will do any better,” he said.
Zimplats shares listed on the Australian Stock Exchange began tumbling last week, in what analy-sts believe is a reaction to Mu-gabe’s well publicised threats.
Local leaders consulted over recruitment Some of the Zimplats workers said though they were better renumerated than other employees from nearby mines, they had been negotiating for an increment since January. Others wanted more locals to be employed.
In response, Busi Chindove, Zimplats’ head of corporate affairs said employees’ remuneration concerns were looked at through internal channels and the National Employment Council.
“The current system of local recruitment involves local community leaders including chiefs and councillors and through these community leaders young people from the local community are recruited regularly and in significant numbers,” she said.
“With the current rate of unemployment it is obviously understandable that there will be anxiety over employment.”
Chindove said it was not possible that Zimplats would absorb all unemployed people from the local community.
“While Zimplats is making an effort to create employment it is worth noting that there are other mining companies within the vicinity mainly engaged in chrome mining and hopefully with time as the various mining operations in the district grow, this will ease the unemployment burden,” she added.
