SYDNEY MUBAIWA
MANHIZE-Engineers from the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) last week visited the Manhize giant Dinson Iron and Steel Company (DISCO) in Mvuma to assess its occupational health and safety standards.
The development comes at a time when villagers and employees in Manhize raised complaints over smoke and dust pollution from the giant iron smelter.
The Centre for Natural Resources Governance has over the past years been strengthening and empowering the Manhize mining affected community to effectively hold duty bearers, state actors and the executive to account on the serious social, and human rights and environmental crisis in the area.
Speaking after the tour, NSSA acting general manager Dr Charles Shava said the Midlands province team was going to work closely with DISCO to address some of the challenges pertaining to the issue of occupational safety health which were identified.
“For the past three to four years that DISCO has been operating, there have not recorded any fatalities at the workplace. However, some workers have suffered some minor injuries.
“Our Midlands province team is going to work closely with DISCO to address identified occupational safety health issues at Manhize,” he said.
Last year, villagers including Dinson employees protested over degrading treatment including low wages, dust pollution and smoke from the chimneys.
The workers and locals were demanding the mine to pour water on the busy road so that the dust coming from the gravel road won’t affect their health.
They also demanded the company to raise up the chimneys to avoid being affected by the smoke from the iron smelter.
Dust particles small enough to be inhaled may lead to irritation of the eyes; coughing; sneezing; hay fever and asthma.
Civic organisations have been on a push to have the government enforce strict compliance measures against foreign investments with the Chinese companies particularly complicit in violations of environmental and labour laws.
Zimbabwe, according to NSSA, loses around US$15 million annually from workplace injuries, diseases and deaths, which are too high compared to the country’s GDP of around US$23billion.
