- Local Jobs First: Mines should employ at least 90% Zimbabweans, with expatriates limited to specialised roles.
- Skills Transfer: Foreign workers must train Zimbabweans for all technical and managerial positions.
- Accountability Matters: Employment records and agreements must be public to ensure foreign investors benefit the country, not just themselves.
Zimbabwe is rich in minerals – platinum, gold, lithium, chrome, nickel, and rare earths — positioning the country as a key player in the global green energy transition. But the real question is: who benefits from this wealth, Zimbabweans or foreign investors?
Recent reports show troubling trends in Chinese-owned mines. In some operations, over 45 per cent of employees are Chinese, while Zimbabweans are relegated to low-skilled, short-term contract roles. Salaries paid to foreign workers are often repatriated, offering little local economic benefit.
By contrast, other foreign-owned firms like Implats, Valterra Platinum, and Bravura employ over 97 per cent Zimbabweans. Their model demonstrates how foreign investment should work: bringing capital, technology, and skills while creating jobs and embedding value locally.
Legal and Moral Responsibility
Under Zimbabwe’s Mines and Minerals Act, mineral rights belong to the State on behalf of the people. Mining titles are not a licence to exploit; they are a custodial responsibility. Companies must demonstrate clear employment localisation and skills transfer plans, ensuring Zimbabweans fill skilled and managerial positions.
Yet, in many Chinese-run mines, Zimbabweans are confined to casual labour roles. Contracts are short-term, often just one year, creating job insecurity and stripping workers of dignity. This model is exploitation, not investment.
Skilled Workers Are Available
Zimbabwe produces thousands of graduates yearly in mining engineering, geology, metallurgy, and related fields. The challenge is not skill but opportunity. Jobs that could be done locally are filled by imported labour, while local wages circulate abroad instead of boosting the domestic economy.
What Needs to Change
Mandatory Localisation: At least 90 per cent of employees should be Zimbabwean, except for highly specialised roles.
Skills Transfer Programmes: Foreign nationals must train Zimbabwean understudies for every position they hold.
Permanent Employment: Short-term contracts should be limited; permanent employment should be standard.
Community Development: Companies must invest meaningfully in local communities.
Transparency: Employment records and agreements should be public to ensure accountability.
The Bottom Line
Zimbabwe’s minerals are a birthright. Foreign investors must operate on terms that benefit Zimbabweans, not exploit them. Chinese mines employing large numbers of their nationals while offering insecure jobs to locals are draining the economy, undermining sovereignty, and betraying the social contract of resource ownership.
The government must enforce laws and demand accountability. If Zimbabwe acts, mining can become a true engine of national development — welcoming foreign capital only when it respects Zimbabwean labour, law, and sovereignty.
