By Fanuel Chinowaita
Mutare – Security guards employed by Imalock Security Company, a firm based in Penhalonga, have accused management of failing to pay salaries for four months and physically assaulting workers who demand their dues. Some workers also allege shocking acts of humiliation by supervisors.
Several employees, speaking to The Wasu Post on condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation, claimed they have not been paid since January. They also allege that some colleagues were assaulted and ordered to “lie face down and have sex with the ground” as punishment for demanding wages or for minor infractions.
“We have not received our salaries since January and it has been difficult to make ends meet. Some workers have left the company, and those who stay are being assaulted. It’s now normal here—people are beaten for asking for their salaries,” said one of the affected workers.
Imalock Security Company provides services to several gold mines in Penhalonga and companies around Mutare. The Wasu Post has been informed that some guards have resorted to accepting bribes from illegal gold panners, allowing them into the mining shafts in a desperate attempt to survive.
The issue came to light after The Wasu Post contacted Imalock Security’s Operations Director, Albert Chibwana, for comment. His response sparked public outrage.
“Mapurisa akapera here muZimbabwe… Munhu akarohwa haamhangari kuPolice here? Go to police and find RRB numbers and court references,” said Chibwana, effectively dismissing the allegations and challenging the victims to report to police.
Labour and human rights activists have condemned both the alleged abuses and the company’s response.
Zimbabwe Security Guards Union (ZISEGU) Eastern Region paralegal officer, Justin Muwonda, said such actions, if proven true, are both illegal and inhumane.
“If this is happening, we totally condemn it. We are no longer living in the old days. Workers have rights that must be respected,” said Muwonda, citing Zimbabwe’s Labour Act, particularly Section 28:01, Section 6 on the Protection of Employees’ Right to Fair Labour Standards.
According to the Act, no person shall “act in a manner that amounts to violence and harassment towards another person at the workplace,” with violations carrying a penalty of up to ten years in prison or a fine.
The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) also weighed in. In a May Day statement themed “End Corruption, End Workers Exploitation: Workers Unite for Social Justice”, ZCTU President Florence Taruvinga denounced the reported abuses.
“This is modern-day slavery. No worker should face violence for demanding what they are legally owed. We will not sit back while employers butcher labour rights with impunity,” she said.
The union has called on the government to act decisively against employers who violate labour laws and demanded immediate action against wage theft and abuse.
As the situation escalates, workers are being encouraged to formally report abuses to relevant authorities. No official police report had been confirmed at the time of publication.