Over 2,200 workers at RioZim Limited have gone five months without salaries, thrust into a deepening crisis that union leaders say is “nothing short of a humanitarian disaster.”
As hunger bites and children are sent home from school, the Zimbabwe Diamond and Allied Minerals Workers Union (ZDAMWU) has sounded the alarm—calling on the Government to step in before the situation spirals further out of control.
In a scathing letter to the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Edgar Moyo dated April 1, ZDAMWU general secretary Justice Chinhema accused the once-thriving mining giant of abandoning its workforce.
“These workers are destitute. They have been stripped of their dignity and left to suffer while the company continues to promise financial lifelines that never come. This is not just about wages—it’s about human lives being destroyed.” Chinhema said
RioZim, a company once known for it’s prosperity, now stands accused of betraying its most vital asset—its workers.
Listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange, RioZim has major stakes in the Cam and Motor gold mine in Kadoma, Murowa Diamonds, and the vast coal fields of Sengwa.
But behind the glossy portfolio lies a grim reality: unpaid salaries, extended unpaid leave, and families sinking deeper into poverty.
The company’s workforce which included 1,347 permanent employees and 920 contract workers as of 2023 is now grappling with extreme hardship.
Many can no longer afford food, rent, or school fees—especially for children preparing for national examinations.
In a March 6 cautionary statement, RioZim claimed it was finalising negotiations with a potential lender and a prospective investor interested in acquiring majority shares.
But for the workers on the ground, the promises ring hollow.
“A month has passed since that announcement, and nothing has changed. There’s no food on the table, no money for school fees, no end in sight.This is corporate cruelty disguised as restructuring.” Chinhema said
ZDAMWU is demanding immediate government intervention including food hampers and emergency financial aid through the Department of Social Welfare.
The union is also calling for high-level dialogue between the Government, RioZim and its shareholders to avert total collapse.
“This is a ticking time bomb. If the Government does not act now, it will be complicit in the suffering of thousands of Zimbabweans whose only crime was working for a company that no longer values them,” Chinhema said
As the crisis deepens the company’s silence has become deafening—and for the workers, survival is now a daily struggle.
