Stanley
Gutu
Masvingo—The
ruling
Zanu
PF
provincial
youth
chairperson
for
Masvingo,
Delight
Mandebvu,
has
been
charged
for
sexual
assault
and
violence
while
forcibly
dispersing
a
group
of
union
leaders
who
had
set
up
an
exhibition
tent
to
commemorate
Workers’
Day
at
Bikita
Minerals
on
1
May.
The
Zimbabwe
Diamond
and
Allied
Minerals
Workers
Union
(ZDAMWU)
education
and
training
officer,
Takawira
Masocha,
was
among
those
that
laid
charges
against
Mandebvu
at
Bikita
Police
Station
on
Wednesday
15
May.
It
took
several
days
for
the
law
enforcers
to
formally
charge
the
alleged
assailant,
though.
The
police
has
over
the
years
been
accused
of
failing
to
take
action
against
members
of
the
ruling
party,
in
some
cases
inverting
cases
by
arresting
those
that
would
have
filed
reports
against
them.
The
Zimbabwe
Republic
Police
(ZRP)
recorded
the
case
under
Reports
Received
Book
(RRB)
number
5766972.
Allegations
are
that
Mandebvu
indecently
manhandled
Thelma
Manjoma,
a
female
ZDAMWU
intern,
and
pointed
a
gun
at
other
union
members
as
he
tried
to
disperse
them.
He
is
alleged
to
have
indecently
touched
Kanjoma
while
trying
to
seize
the
mobile
phone
which
she
was
using
to
record
the
incident.
NewsHub established
that,
besides
Kanjoma
and
Masocha,
the
other
complainants
in
the
case
are
ZDAMWU
national
youth
coordinator,
Dorcus
Nerupiri,
the
insurance
marketing
officer,
Queen
Kusotera,
and
the
gender
and
women
coordinator,
Vimbai
Chinhema.
The
union
has
annoyed
the
Bikita
Minerals
management
and
the
ruling
party
by
consistently
writing
adverse
reports
on
the
unfair
labour
practices
allegedly
being
perpetrated
by
the
lithium
mining
company.
The
company
is
owned
by
a
Chinese
outfit,
the
Shenzhen-listed
Sinomine
that
acquired
Bikita
Minerals
for
US$180
million
in
January
2022
and
announced
a
US$300
million
investment
to
increase
production
and
extend
the
life
of
the
mine.
Reports
of
unfair
labour
practices and lithium
smuggling have
dogged
Bikita
Minerals
for
more
than
a
year.
Recently,
ZDAMWU
supported
several
wives
of
mine
workers
who
protested
against
the
death
of
their
colleague
following
the
company’s
refusal
to
release
an
ambulance
to
ferry
her
to
Harare
for
specialist
care
related
to
her
pregnancy.
The
alleged
harassment
of
the
union
workers
during
the
Workers’
Day
fair
at
Bikita
Minerals
has
attracted
international
condemnation.
Unions
from
across
the
world
that
are
allied
to
ZDAMWU
have
written
solidarity
letters
and
castigated
Mandebvu
and
Bikita
Minerals
for
violating
the
rights
of
workers
to
assemble.
A
Switzerland-based
labour
union
added
its
voice
to
the
condemnations
and
urged
the
lithium
company
to
respect
workers’
rights.
“(We
are)
calling
upon
the
Bikita
Minerals
management
to
respect
national
laws
that
include
the
constitution
and
the
Labour
Act
which
protect
the
rights
of
trade
unions.
Further,
Zimbabwe
has
ratified
the
International
Labour
Organization
(ILO)’s
Conventions
87
and
98
which
protect
trade
union
rights
to
freedom
of
association,
to
organise
and
collective
bargaining.
“Mining
companies,
including
Bikita
Minerals,
must
respect
and
not
violate
these
conventions,”
wrote
the
Switzerland-based
IndustriAll
Global
Union
in
a
20
May
letter
addressed
to
the
Bikita
Minerals
mine
manager,
David
Mwanza.
A
union
based
in
Egypt—the
African
Federation
for
Miners
and
Mineral
Wealth—
urged
the
Zimbabwean
government
to
investigate
the
harassments.
“We
urge
the
government
of
Zimbabwe
to
launch
a
thorough
investigation
into
this
deplorable
incident
and
hold
those
responsible
accountable
for
their
action,”
wrote
the
union
in
a
6
May
letter
addressed
to
the
Public
Service,
Labour
and
Social
Welfare
minister,
July
Moyo.
Mandebvu
accuses
ZDAMWU
of
seeking
regime
change
in
Zimbabwe
and
harassing
the
management
of
the
Chinese-owned
company.
He
is
reportedly
leading
efforts
to
force
mine
workers
to
ditch
ZDAMWU
and
join
a
new
pro-Zanu
PF
union
that
has
been
formed
at
Bikita
Minerals.
The
ruling
party
youth
leader
also
faces
more
criminal
charges
for
allegedly
assaulting
the
immediate
former
mayor
of
Masvingo,
Collen
Maboke,
and
his
wife,
Tariro.
Source:
Gun
toting
Zanu
PF
youth
leader
charged
for
sexual
assault
–
News
Hub
Zimbabwe