White Employers Treat Black Workers Better Than Chinese, Says Killer Zivhu
Outspoken former Chivi South legislator Killer Zivhu (ZANU PF) has claimed that white employers in Zimbabwe treat their Black employees better than their Chinese counterparts.
In a post on X, Zivhu said he was “appalled” at the treatment of his cousin, who works as a driver for a Chinese employer.
He alleged that his cousin is forced to sleep in his car and cook meals in Bulawayo, which he then eats over three days in Harare, while his Chinese bosses enjoy comfortable hotel accommodations and fine dining. Said Zivhu:
Appalled by Chinese nationals’ treatment of Blacks in Zimbabwe! My cousin, a driver, sleeps in cars while they enjoy hotels. Cooks his meals in Bulawayo kuti agozodya ku Harare for 3 days, while they dine lavishly. White people show more dignity towards Blacks than Chinese.
Since 2000, when the Zimbabwean government seized farms from white farmers and adopted the “Look East” policy, there has been a significant influx of Chinese nationals, particularly in the mining sector.
However, numerous reports indicate that Chinese employers often mistreat their Black workers, paying them meagre wages and subjecting them to inhumane working conditions.
In September of this year, Daniel Molokele, the Member of Parliament for Hwange Central, criticized Chinese coal miners in the district for failing to adhere to Zimbabwe’s laws.
This came after residents of Ingagula township in Hwange raised concerns about excessive dust pollution caused by the haulage trucks and coal mining activities of the Chinese operators.
Molokele further alleged that Chinese investors are protected from scrutiny due to their connections with influential politicians in Harare.
In August, Farai Maguwu, the founding director of the Centre for Natural Resource Governance, described the growth of Chinese mining operations in Zimbabwe as a form of “organised crime” due to their exploitative practices.
He argued that mines established in Zimbabwe since 2000 have not contributed meaningfully to the improvement of the communities in which they operate. Said Maguwu:
Mining that is conducted in Zimbabwe is organised crime, it is not really formal. In terms of mines that started operating after the year 2000, the one that I think is a demonstration of unit of environmental social or governance risk is Zimplats.
If you go to Zimplats you will realise that they have invested in the road infrastructure, and they have built a town such that even if Zimplats is said to have ceased operations in Zimbabwe, that settlement will continue to exist.
They have built houses for their staff, it is actually a town that they have built. But those coming from China, they have no intention to stay here, they have no intention to transform the place from the way they found it and turn it into a better place.
More: Pindula News
