A local employee working for a Chinese restaurant in Harare was recently allegedly assaulted by his employer in yet another case of physical abuse of employees by Asian employers.
Milton Park police report record book number 1215590 confirms Patrick Makaza, a cook at the restaurant “. . . was assaulted by accused using clenched fists and booted feet on the left shoulder, right thigh and back of the head.”
Makaza related his ordeal under the employ of Chinese bosses and said working for “these men from the East is hell on earth”.
“Most of us are suffering in silence, but I have decided I can only go so far and no further. Physical assaults are the order of the day at that restaurant and I have just decided to quit employment,” said Makaza who had to have X-rays taken to ascertain the degree of his injuries.
The alleged assault comes hard on the heels of a similar incident that allegedly took place at the Zimbabwe Defence College being constructed by Chinese company in Malborough, Harare.
Workers there told NewsDay last month that they were being physically assaulted by their Chinese employers, in addition to a litany of other abuses.
In Marange, a Chinese firm mining diamonds, Anjin Zimbabwe, is being taken to court by the Zimbabwe Federation of Trade Unions (ZFTU) for failing to pay its employees allowances amounting to $7 147 in wages, leave days and overtime allowances.
ZFTU is a Zanu PF-linked labour union and the Chinese firms have strong links with the former liberation party.
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So rampant are the alleged cases of abuse that the Zimbabwe Construction and Allied Trade Workers Union has petitioned the Ministry of Labour to intervene.
“To date workers continue to endure various forms of physical torture at the hands of these Chinese employers right under the noses of the authorities. One of the most disturbing developments is that most of the Chinese employers openly boast that they have government protection and so nothing can be done to them. This clearly indicates that the issue has serious political connotations than what we can imagine,” reads a statement from the union. Police spokesperson James Sabau however professed ignorance at the alleged abuses in an interview yesterday.
“As of now, there is no such case that I am aware of. These cases have possibly been reported at various stations and I will try and find out,” said Sabau.
