adminMash Central Correspondent
SPOUSES of Eureka Gold Mine employees in Guruve recently demonstrated against the non-payment of their husbands’ salaries over the past 30 months.
The demonstration comes at a time when the company is battling to regain control of three mining claims that were seized by Women In Mining in 2015.
Delta Gold Mine, which is the parent company, is blaming the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development for failing to address the ownership wrangle.
Chairman of Delta Mine Zimbabwe Mr Charlemagne Chimbangu and Guruve South Member of National Assembly Cde Patrick Dutiro confirmed the demonstration and appealed to Government to find a lasting solution to the mine ownership wrangle.
Mr Chimbangu said: “Yes, the spouses of our employees demonstrated against the company management over the outstanding salaries. We are embroiled in a dispute with Women In Mining led by Ms Blessing Hungwe who seized three of our claims. Our battle to regain the claims over the past two years have been in vain.
“The agreement with employees was that the mine would pay all outstanding balances after the takeover of the new investors.
“The issue of the three claims is the sticking issue since they should be ceded to Eureka Mine. They were also included in the contract with the new investors.”
Cde Dutiro appealed to Government to intervene and restore sanity at the mine.
“The mine is the biggest employer in Guruve District,” he said. “It has been closed for years and we are losing income and foreign currency as a country. Families are suffering, yet we have an idle natural resources which has a ready market.
“I hope the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development will move in quickly and bring sanity to the mine. Our people cannot suffer at the hands of selfish individuals. Our people need jobs, while the country needs foreign currency.”
Efforts to get a comment from Ms Hungwe were fruitless, while it has since emerged that the Women In Mining’s application for a licence to mine gold at the three claims was turned down by the Mines Ministry.
As the salaries saga rages on, the mine employees previously approached their National Employment Council and were awarded an execution order of property worth about $800 000 the Labour Court in Harare.
Guruve Messenger of Court, Precious Chitofu confirmed that the mine had some of its property worth $250 000 attached.
“We attached and auctioned some of Eureka Mine property following the granting of an execution order by the Labour Court.
“However, other executions orders are still to be enforced as the employees do not have money to approach our office,” said Chitofu.
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