Harare —Murowa Diamonds workers have embarked on a sit-in after going for over five months without pay, a situation that has deepened the crisis in Zimbabwe’s already fragile diamond sector.
The strike, which began on 9 July, follows months of simmering discontent at the RioZim-owned mine.
RioZim Limited, once a subsidiary of the multinationalRio Tintountil its separation in 2004, is now a publicly listed Zimbabwean company with diversified interests across gold, coal, nickel, copper, and diamonds.
Murowa Diamonds, located near Zvishavane in the Midlands province, employs approximately 400 workers, according to the Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG).
Employees allege that salaries have not been paid since February 2025, and affiliate unions say this failure signals an acute decline in labour protections and corporate accountability amid widespread wage arrears, forced retrenchments and deteriorating working conditions.
It emerged in early July that workers atAnjin Investments (Pvt) Ltd,a diamond mining company operating in Chiadzwa in Manicaland province, had downed tools over unpaid salaries while a fellow miner, the Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) retrenched some 400 workers.
The Zimbabwe Diamond and Allied Minerals Workers Union (ZDAMWU), a national trade body representing workers in the mining and extractives sectors, described the Murowa industrial action as an unfortunate but necessary act.
“The diamond sector is in turmoil, crippled by a triple threat of plummeting productivity, rampant illicit trade, and a devastating labour crisis that’s pushing the industry to the brink of collapse.
“Our members, hardworking mine workers in the diamond sector, are suffering amid a wave of layoffs, unpaid wages, and deteriorating labour standards and working conditions at the country’s three diamond mining companies in Zimbabwe, namely: The Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC), Anjin Investments, and MurowaDiamonds,” said Justice Chinhema, ZDAMWU general secretary in a statement.
“Currently, at Murowa Diamonds, workers have initiated a sit-in protesting five months of unpaid salaries.
“This desperate act highlights the severe hardship faced by workers who have been deprived of their due compensation, further deepening the crisis in the sector.
“The union calls on Murowa management to address these grievances promptly and restore fair labour standards,” added Chinhema.
Source: NewsHub Zimbabwe
Source: NewsHub Zimbabwe
