Union petitions the Gender Commission to a investigate sexual harassment case

A union representing mine workers has petitioned the Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC) to investigate a case of sexual harassment against a female employee at Duration Gold Investment (DGI) Private Limited trading as Queen Mine in Inyathi, Matabeleland North.

Court documents show that DGI administration manager Langton Mharira has now been dragged before Inyathi magistrate court on charges of indecently assaulting the female employee.

But the Zimbabwe Diamond and Allied Mineral Workers Union (Zdamwu) in the petition protests that the sexual harassment case has been strangely reduced to indecent assault by the company management and the courts.

In a letter dated January 4, 2022, directed to the ZGC chairperson, copied to Judiciary Service Commission (JSC), National Prosecution Authority (NPA) and Officer in Charge Inyathi Police, Zdamwu secretary general Justice Chinhema called for a probe into the matter.

“We write on behalf of an employee at DGL Investments Number Five PVT Ltd…We are a registered trade union in the mining industry and the employee is our member,” Chinhema wrote.

“We realised that there is serious sexual harassment perpetrated against our member. We write to you concerned about how the prosecutor at Inyathi is handling the matter, turning the tables against a victim even after listening to the audio of the phone recording of the whole event.”

Chinhema said the copy of the recording is available and can be sent to the appropriate investigator.

“Kindly act in terms of your mandate as outlined in section 256 of the Constitution. We will also be appraising the Prosecutor General to reign on the Prosecutor handling the matter.”

ZGC Chief Executive Officer Virginia Muwanigwa confirmed receiving the complaint from Zdamwu.

“Yes we received a notice of intention to file a complaint alleging sexual harassment. Once we receive the complaint it is logged and follows our standard operating procedure on complaint handling and investigations,” she said.

Court papers show that on December 20, 2020 Mharira visited the mine for orientation where he proposed love to a female employee. The female employee turned down his request telling him she is married.

Indications are that at that time, she used to cook for the company’s Chief Executive Officer Francesco Marconati.

In March, Mharira joined DGI as Administration and Logistic Manager, with the female employee now a human resources administration officer reporting directly to him.

Documents show that Mharira would be hostile to the female employee after she turned down his request, and sometimes accused her of paying ghost workers to frustrate her.

In September 2021, Mharira hired two people to replace her and when she protested to other bosses, her salary was upgraded to US$900. But in November and December her salary was downgraded to US$500 and US$400 respectively.

But the sexual harassment continued. The employee reported the matter to the police citing sexual harassment.

The matter is pending in Inyathi court and Mharira is denying the charges.