Hwange Colliery Company starts evicting former workers

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Hwange Colliery Company Limited (HCCL) has reportedly started evicting former workers from company houses after obtaining an eviction order against them last year.

The 250 former HCCL workers had refused to vacate the houses claiming that the company owed them thousands of US dollars each in terminal benefits.

Some of the workers retired 10 years ago and had continued staying in company houses waiting for their terminal packages of at least US$20 000 each.

However, HCCL claimed to have paid its former employees in full in local currency in monthly instalments of about $300.

Greater Hwange Residents Trust coordinator Fidelis Chima told Southern Eye that HCCL has started the evictions. Said Chima:

They were given the notice to evacuate and some of them have started complying as they are now leaving.

Zimbabwe Diamond and Allied Mineral Workers Union general-secretary Justice Chinhema said they are now representing the workers. He said:

We are actually representing the former workers. It is unfortunate that the union that these former workers were subscribing to abandoned them in their time of need. They are coming to a new union at a very critical time.

Southern Eye reported that HCCL spokesperson Beauty Mutombe refused to comment saying she did not understand the questions that had been forwarded to her by the publication.