JOC raids Bikita Minerals, arrest hundreds of Chinese workers over work permits

By TellZim Reporter
MASVINGO – Hundreds of Chinese workers from Bikita Minerals were allegedly arrested on
Friday, November 6, during a joint operation led by the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO),
police, army, prisons and immigration officials, and brought to immigration offices in Masvingo
town in two buses over work permit irregularities.
Sources told TellZim News that the workers were raided at the mine and packed into Lorries
until management intervened and asked that they be ferried to the immigration offices in the
mine’s buses.
Contacted for comment by TellZim News, Bikita Minerals Public Relations Officer Tinomuda
Chakanyuka described the visit to the immigration offices as a routine exercise for permit
verification, saying all the workers were vetted and cleared as their documentation was in order.
“Bikita Minerals wishes to categorically clarify that none of its employees was arrested during
the recent exercise conducted by immigration authorities. The exercise was a routine verification
of employees’ immigration and work permits. All employees were duly vetted and cleared after
authorities established that their documentation was in order,” said Chakanyuka.
He said no employee was detained and that everyone was at work.
“For the avoidance of doubt, you are welcome to independently verify with the Department of
Immigration whether any Bikita Minerals employee is in its custody. We wish to reaffirm that all
our expatriate employees are currently at work, continuing to play their part in the company’s
operations and contributing to Zimbabwe’s broader economic growth and development agenda,”
said Chakanyuka.
Sources said the workers used to run away and hide whenever immigration officers
visited the premises, suggesting they were being tipped off about impending raids.
However, this time around, they were caught unaware, resulting in the arrest of many.”Immigration officials and security officers led by CIO raided the mine, and most of the Chinese
workers were found at the kitchen where they were eating. The mine management appealed to
the officials to allow them to provide buses to ferry them to town for verification,” said a source.
The source further said it was established that most of the Chinese workers were doing work
different from what was stated on their work permits.
“They apply for an easy permit, which is mostly for critical work, then they work in completely
different environments altogether. Some have permits written as engineers but you find them
working in the kitchen,” the source said.
The matter has raised eyebrows about the immigration department, which appears to be an
accomplice in issuing permits without due diligence to establish the applicants’ actual
professions.
Sources said the professions on the permits were written in full sentences rather than one or two
words, making the descriptions too long and difficult to verify.
“The professions are written in sentence form. You will find a long description that does not
match the person’s actual duties,” said another source.
JOC reportedly said there would be another visit to the mine
where each person would be taken to his or her workstation as stated on the permit.