South Africans working for Nsimbi Mining held hostage in Mozambique’s Tete by angry employees

Daily Maverick spoke on the phone with Japie du Toit, one of the South African managers being prevented from leaving the office. The other South African is production manager Shedrick Festus, and the Mozambican HR manager is Mary Chuva, a mother of two children.

“They are keeping us as collateral until they get paid,” Du Toit (63), who has been held there since Tuesday morning and needs to get to South Africa for medical reasons, told Daily Maverick.

Nsimbi Mining, which is based in Kempton Park,  confirmed the incident, with director Craig Dube telling Daily Maverick, “It is very concerning.”

Nsimbi got a contract last year to provide support services to Moatize Coal Mine in Tete, which is operated by Vulcan International, part of India’s sprawling Jindal Group.

Dube admitted the company had financial difficulties as it is tough to raise capital for coal in the current investment climate because of the fossil fuel’s links to climate change.

On top of that was the wave of violent unrest in the wake of last year’s bitterly contested elections in Mozambique.

“There were a lot of issues in terms of management, and there was unrest in Mozambique, and we were not able to work properly for two months or so,” said Dube. “We are busy trying to pay the employees.”

Dube said many of the disgruntled employees were demanding wages for periods in which they did not work because of the political unrest.

Du Toit said he had been trying to organise his flight to South Africa on Tuesday for medical reasons and to sort out the issue of payments when he and his colleagues were prevented from leaving the office.

He said the instigators claimed he was trying to flee the country and that the company was pulling the plug on its work there.

“We believe in the project we are running here. Japie is coming back for medical issues and I am planning to go there next week,” Dube told Daily Maverick.

Du Toit said about 25 to 30 employees were blocking the offices and logs had been placed in front of the boom gate at the entrance. He said none of the employees were carrying visible weapons, but they were an intimidating force.

The local police have made no effort yet to forcefully intervene, while officials from the Labour Department have been holding talks with the employees.

This unfolding saga underscores the rising risks of Mozambique as an investment destination and the tensions that are still brewing there in the wake of the elections, which have led to open defiance of the police and the state. DM

*This article has been edited to remove a comment about travel to Mozambique, which is unrelated to the labour conflict.