Ex-NRZ workers petition ED

LETTICIA MAGOMBO

Disgruntled former National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) employees have petitioned President Emmerson Mnangagwa urging him to fire the parastatal’s general manager, Respina Zinyanduko.

They alleged nepotism, ill-treatment of workers, among many other accusations.

Part of the National Railways of Zimbabwe Axed Worker’s Committee (NRZAWC) statement reads: “The NRZAWC would like to put it on record that the petition against Zinyanduko to His Excellency the President of Zimbabwe, (Emmerson) Mnangagwa on NRZ’s goings-on is a reality consented and appended to by all fired railway workers represented by NRZ union leadership, contract workers and senior managers.”

“Therefore, there is no doubt that all fired workers scattered want Zinyanduko to be removed from the NRZ helm and are part of this cause of saving the organisation from this rot.

“Respina Zinyanduko has diverted the core business of the NRZ. Nowadays she fires employees daily.

“She fired top 20 union managers for questioning the logic of acquiring state-of-the-art vehicles for her puppet managers when the lowest worker at NRZ is getting ZWL$8 100 per month.”

The NRZAWC claimed that since its conception in August last year, the union has accumulated over 1520 members who had served the organisation for over 10 years.

Zinyanduko was appointed as NRZ general manager in December last year, making her the first female to hold that position. She had been acting for barely a year after she was seconded to hold forte in an acting capacity by the NRZ board.