Former first lady Grace Mugabe has offered to pay her farm workers in rice saying they can forget getting anything in cash. She told th...
Former first lady Grace Mugabe has offered to pay her farm
workers in rice saying they can forget getting anything in cash.
She told them that she was untouchable and no one will
force her to pay their outstanding wages. Workers at Gwina Farm in Banket, told
The Standard that Grace visited the farm last week accompanied by her husband
and told the 106 employees that she was not going to pay them terminal
benefits.
The Gwina Farm workers’ representative Golden Pinjisi said
the Mugabes visited the farm after employees demanded that they be given their
terminal benefits since the operations of the farm were handed over to a Wilson
Marufu last September.
“She came breathing fire in Banket accompanied by former
president Mugabe and lied that she had given us our dues, but when asked by
Mugabe if she had evidence that she paid us she went mad, telling the former
president to keep quiet accusing us of lying to him. She is still the
motor-mouth Grace Mugabe” said Pinjisi
Pinjisi said Grace reminded them that the Mugabes were
still in control and Mnangagwa had no power over them.
“Let’s meet in the courts. I will not give you any cent
even if you go and report to Mnangagwa. Nothing is going to change. Mnangagwa
has no say over us,” said Pinjisi quoting Grace.
Another worker, Sarudzai Mutema said what irked them most
was that Grace wanted to give them rice as payment for their labour.
Grace’s lawyer Fungai Chimwamurombe confirmed the meeting,
but claimed some employees were raising “false allegations” because they did
not want to leave the farm, which they were “illegally” occupying.
COMMENTS