‘Hwange Colliery Ex-workers Sue Coal Miner Over Evictions’ 17 July 2020

Some former Hwange Colliery Company (HCC) workers have taken the coal miner to court seeking to stop arbitrary evictions from company houses they are still occupying. The coal miner recently went on an overdrive evicting hundreds of its former employees from company houses in Number 1, Number 2, Number 5, and Lusumbami villages. The evictions come ahead of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s visit to the coal mining town where he will be touring nine mining companies this Thursday and Friday. However, the affected ex-workers, some who retired 10 years ago, have been staying in the company houses waiting for the full payment of their terminal packages by the struggling company.

…According to the retrenchment contracts signed by the former workers, the HCC was compelled to pay them 7% of the package upon the termination of the contracts, and the remainder over 36 months from the first month of payment. However, HCC went ahead and evicted the former employees with that meeting its side of the bargain. While it is not clear how many ex-workers have approached the courts, NewZimbabwe.com understands that a number have applied for provisional orders to stop the evictions.