Marshall Bwanya
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 multinational Rio Tinto until 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 at Anjin 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.
Workers accuse named senior managers of financial mismanagement, allowing essential machinery to fall into disrepair, and neglecting the supply of safety gear and operational spares.
A workers’ committee representative who declined being identified said: “Employees are blaming senior managers for squandering company funds and running operations into the ground.”
Once praised for its impressive productivity, Murowa’s output has fallen sharply over the years.
The mine produced approximately 579,,000 carats in 2021, but volumes have since declined due to under-capitalisation and persistent operational issues.
This is not the first labour crisis at Murowa. In October 2024, over 300 workers staged a strike after going for two months without pay.
As early as late 2023, civil society groups such as the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre raised concerns over alleged labour rights abuses at Murowa that included harassment, unpaid overtime and unsafe working conditions.
In March 2025, the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) disconnected power at Murowa mine after unpaid utility bills of US$4.5 million, further crippling operations and worsening the mine’s ability to pay workers.
ZDAMWU has appealed to the ministries of Mines and Labour, respectively, to intervene in the crisis bedeviling all the three major diamond firms, Murowa, ZCDC and Anjin.
Some 600 workers are reportedly facing retrenchment at ZCDC without the possibility severance packages.
Anjin has previously been criticised for lack of transparency, unsafe conditions and failing to reinvest in its workforce and local communities.
Murowa workers have submitted a petition outlining their demands: immediate payment of salary arrears, regular wage disbursements, procurement of spare parts and safety equipment, restoration of company transport and accountability from senior management.
Attempts to contact Murowa management were unsuccessful as the human resources superintendent, Munyaradzi Mungaraza, and the general manager, Jonathan Mapisaunga did not respond to phone calls or WhatsApp questions sent by this publication.