Chinese-owned Zimbabwe mine dismisses women after forced HIV tests

The Zimbabwe Diamond and Allied Minerals Workers Union (ZDAMWU) has launched legal action against the management of Xiao Honguqiu's Famona gold mine after it allegedly subjected female workers to mandatory HIV testing and subsequently dismissed them. The union condemned the mine's actions as a blatant violation of national laws protecting privacy, equality, and non-discrimination.

According to ZDAMWU, three female employees were forced to undergo HIV tests and were summarily dismissed on 22 December 2025, regardless of the test results. In contrast, more than 60 male colleagues faced no such requirement. The union described the practice as both sexual harassment and gender-based discrimination.

Zimbabwe's Constitution and labour legislation safeguard workers' dignity, equality before the law, and protection against gender-based discrimination. The right to privacy, including the confidentiality of personal health information such as HIV status, is constitutionally protected. Employers are expressly prohibited from compelling disclosure of HIV status, and the 2021 Cyber and Data Protection Act criminalizes unauthorized disclosure of personal health data.

The dismissals reportedly followed information posted online revealing one worker's HIV status. The affected employee filed a police report at Nyathi Police Station near Bulawayo, while ZDAMWU lodged a formal complaint with the Zimbabwe Gender Commission, which is now investigating the matter and assessing potential legal action against the company.

Justice Chinhema, ZDAMWU general secretary, said the union is demanding reinstatement for the three women. "It is unacceptable for employers to subject women to sexual harassment and flout the law with impunity," he said.

Support has come from Paule-France Ndessomin, Sub-Saharan Africa regional secretary, who stressed that multinational companies operating in Zimbabwe must comply with national labour laws and international standards. "We back ZDAMWU in seeking justice for these workers. Chinese multinational companies operating in Zimbabwe and the region must adhere to national labour laws and international standards," Ndessomin said.

A research project in collaboration with the University of the Witwatersrand's Southern Centre for Inequality Studies, titled Fighting Back: Labour Fragmentation in the Face of Capital vis-à-vis the Just Transition and Eco-Socialism, has highlighted systemic sexual harassment and exploitation in Chinese-owned mines in Zimbabwe. The study revealed a disturbing pattern of supervisors preferring to hire "small Maria" – black female workers of smaller stature – and using their positions to exert pressure, solicit sexual favors, or commit sexual assault. The research, set to be published in April, notes that black women in Zimbabwe's mining sector face persistent victimization and harassment.

The union and civil society groups have called for accountability, urging the mine's management to comply with the law and respect workers' rights, while highlighting the broader need to protect female employees in the mining sector from exploitation and abuse.