HARARE: 23 January 2025
The Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG) is deeply disturbed by the escalating use of firearms by Chinese nationals in Zimbabwe to settle labor disputes. A disturbing video has surfaced, showing a violent altercation between a Zimbabwean employee, Kholwani Dube, and Chinese nationals, highlighting the brazen subversion of the duties of the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP). Dube is an excavator operator employed by Ming Chang Sino-Africa Mining Investments, which operates at Bijou Farm in Gweru.
The disturbing video which occurred on 21 January shows Dube demanding unpaid wages, repeatedly shouting “I want my money, I want my money, shoot me!” He is then aggressively restrained by some Chinese nationals, who bind his hands and legs with wire and threaten him with a pistol held to his head. Whilst details are still sketchy, in the current case, the employee, Dube, was reportedly dismissed without a mandatory disciplinary hearing as required by the law.
At the heart of the increasing tension between Chinese nationals and Zimbabwean workers are poor labor practices, including meager wages, lack of contracts, and gross human rights abuses. Similar incidents have been reported in the past, including a case where two Chinese nationals were deported for abusing a mineworker at Makanga Mine in Bindura. Labor unions have condemned such incidents, emphasizing the need to protect workers’ rights and prevent human rights abuses. Needless to say, this is lawlessness as has never been witnessed in Zimbabwe’s mining sector since independence in 1980. The subversion of the duties of the ZRP by Chinese nationals in the video is brazen.
In 2024 CNRG petitioned parliament to investigate Chinese labor practices in Zimbabwe. The petition is yet to be actioned by parliament. Our petition was premised on a report on Chinese investments in Zimbabwe’s mining sector, revealing poor labor relations, labor rights violations, and precarious employment conditions, including low wages and unpaid work hours. Workers raised concerns about labor rights violations and precarious employment conditions as impacting the relations with Chinese employers.
CNRG calls for swift and decisive action to address these grave concerns and uphold justice in the mining sector as well as ensuring the safety and rights of all citizens. We urge the government to take immediate action on the following matters:
Investigate the Incident: Conduct a thorough investigation into event and hold perpetrators accountable- ensuring that all Chinese nationals filmed in the video, are held accountable and brought to justice for their actions.
Examine Firearm Usage: Investigate the circumstances under which Chinese nationals are issued firearms in Zimbabwe, and whether they are authorized to use such weapons in labor disputes or other non-security related matters.
Address Tensions: Provide the nation with regular updates on the steps being taken to de-escalate the growing tensions between Chinese nationals operating in Zimbabwe and their local hosts, ensuring that peaceful and mutually respectful relations are restored.
As CNRG our concerns about the growing use of firearms by Chinese nationals in Zimbabwean labor disputes underscore the importance of promoting peaceful and lawful resolution of labor disputes in Zimbabwe’s mining sector.
Centre for Natural Resource Governance is a leading research and advocacy organization championing climate justice and wildlife conservation, land rights, human rights, environmental integrity and anti-corruption in the natural resources sector.
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Centre for Natural Resource Governance
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