Workers at the Ngezi-based mining company told NewsDay that
the administration manager, Angui Zhang Zong, gave an order to have the tests
carried out at the company premises.
They said workers from the safety, health, environment and
quality (SHEQ) department, mainly students on attachment, were compelled to
administer the tests despite lacking the professional know-how.
An audio recording in NewsDay’s possession revealed that during
the company’s COVID-19 response plan meeting, Zhong ordered that the tests for
the virus should be done at the company.
“We will test the people here, and then we quarantine the
affected people. The rest of the response plan, we will look at it when we have
cases,” Zhong is heard saying.
However, workers said they were surprised when a group of
Chinese workers at the company drove to Harare on January 15, to have COVID-19
polymerase chain reaction tests administered on them. It is then alleged that
five of the Chinese workers tested positive.
“On January 18, the administration manager held a meeting
with personnel in the SHEQ office, and ordered them to carry out COVID-19 tests
on the 600 workers which were to commence the following day,” one of the
workers said.
“The wife of the administration manager, Mrs Xian Zhang,
who is head of stores department, placed some COVID-19 IgM/IgG rapid test kits
on the table and gave a demonstration.
“The results of the demonstration came out negative.
However, it is not known whether this Mrs Xian Zhang has a medical
qualification, nor has been trained for COVID-19 treatment and management.”
According to Statutory Instrument 102 of 2020, which
enforced the original COVID-19 lockdown period, employers must use the rapid
results diagnostic test or any other test approved by the Minister of Health
and Child Care.
However, the exercise should be coordinated by the Health
ministry.
“What surprises us is that on January 20, the SHEQ director
Pardon Kufakunesu gave a direct order to Petros Kumbwizha (computer science
intern) and Thabeth Matoda (environmental technology intern) to conduct the testing,”
said another worker.
“When the exercise commenced, the testing team did not know
their COVID-19 status until late in the afternoon. It was then discovered that
one of the testing team members had tested positive for the virus and had to be
replaced, although he had tested 150 workers.
“Some of those who were testing had no personal protective
equipment. As for students on attachment, they were mostly the ones at risk as
they were exposed to blood. They were doing it for the first team.”
Chinese-run mining companies operating in Zimbabwe have
been accused of rampant abuse of their workers.
Last year, two workers at Chinese Rum Mine in Gweru were
shot and wounded by their Chinese boss after they complained about outstanding
wages.
Contacted for comment, Gilbert Kwaramba, the Afrochine
Smelting human resources manager referred NewsDay to Kufakunesu, who despite
seeing the questions on his WhatsApp platform did not respond. Newsday
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