The country’s leading coal mining company Hwange Colliery Company Limited has failed to exhibit at the
Matebeleland North Agricultural Show this year.
Despite the company being the pioneers of the then Wankie Show Society and a traditional exhibitor at
the prime provincial show, sources have revealed that their absence from this year’s edition maybe
linked to a financial crisis the company is facing.
The company recently sent out a memo to its workers in which it outlined a number of issues that are
alluding to retrenchment causing panic among the Colliery workers.
The memo which was written by the company’s Administrator Munashe Shava hinted at the likelihood
of retrenchment for the miners.
“Following the inception of the Business Improvement Plan (''BIP”) which is implementing the Scheme
of Reconstruction by the Administrator, all employees of HCCL are urged to take note of this important
notice.
“In terms of section 28 of the Reconstruction of State Indebted Entities Act [Chapter 24:27] (“the Act”),
the Labour Act shall no longer be used for human resources matters in the company.
“However, during the subsistence of the administration and with effect from the 2nd October 2023, the
company respects the employees’ administrative rights and wishes to advise the employees that
termination of employment will only be implemented, as necessary, in the following manner,” reads the
memo.
The Memo indicated that termination will be done in three categories that is retrenchment, termination
on notice as well as dismissal.
The memo which did not expand further has caused miners to panic as there are some fissures that
some senior managers have already been dismissed.
“To be honest, the memo is a warning that the management is ready to retrench us, although it was
written formally, we are hearing from the corridors that the company is under financial crisis” said a
miner who preferred anonymity.
Another worker added that their fears of a financial crisis were worsened when the company failed to
support the Hwange Show Society of which it has been part of since its inception.
“We even heard that the Colliery is even failing to order beverages for sale. All these red flags are
worrisome to us workers,” said another worker.
HCCL has over the years has been scooping a number prizes as the company has been showcasing
various departments such as the estates as well as the production department.
Meanwhile, efforts to get a comment from the HCCL Administrator Shava on the financial status of the
company were fruitless as he refused to comment over the phone ,but referred all the questions to be
sent via HCCL email which he did not respond to.
Hwange Colliery Company Limited extracts, processes and distributes raw coal and coal products in
Zimbabwe and sub Saharan Africa.
