CommuTalk Reporter
GWERU – A Chinese national managing Reden Mine in the Midlands capital; Gweru was yesterday arrested and charged for attempted murder after shooting two of his employees for demanding wages in US dollars.
The two affected were Kenneth Tachiona (39) and Wendy Chikwaira (31) who were immediately referred to Midlands Private hospital.
A report in possession of CommuTalk indicates that Zhang Xuelin (41) was having disputes with his workers after proposing to pay the in local currency amid promises made to give them US dollars.
The confrontation did not go well with Xuelin who listed those who were on the forefront and promised to terminate their contracts of employment.
“…Tichaona opened the gate which was shut and charged towards Xuelin with Blessing Manyeruke (22) effortlessly trying to refrain him. An altercation ensued and during the scuffle, Xuelin drew his FN pistol, serial number 76025381 and fired towards Tichaona,” the report reads.
“He shot him thrice on the right thigh and twice on the left thigh…Xuelin further assaulted the complainant with his feet and fired one shot towards his workers and the bullet gazed the chin of Chikwaira causing the workers to disperse,” the report further reads.
The matter is being investigated under ZRP Gweru rural CR 7 4/06/2020.
It is not the first time Chinese nationals have been accused of ill-treating employees in the mining sector, neither do they give back to communities they exploit amid indications that they have immunity from government.
Critical questions asking whether it is possible for a Zimbabwean to operate a mine in China besides having an ill-treated workforce have often been asked with government choosing to ignore the criticism.
