Nick Mangwana, the Permanent Secretary in Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, has said two Chinese citizens recently filmed torturing local mine workers at the Makanga Mine in Bindura, Mashonaland Central Province, have been deported.
In a post on the social media platform X on Thursday morning, Mangwana said that the foreign nationals were deported, but did not disclose their specific nationality or identity. He said:
The two foreign nationals involved in this abuse depicted on a video that went viral were deported yesterday to their home country.
Addressing a citizen’s query on why the foreign nationals were not jailed for abusing local workers, Mangwana responded:
It cost us much more as a country to feed them and secure them in prison than to send them home.
The viral video footage showed one of the Chinese nationals tying up the Zimbabwean workers and suspending them in the air using a frontend loader.
The Chinese national is then said to have whipped the workers, accusing them of stealing an unspecified amount of diesel from the mine.
In a statement released on Wednesday, 17 July, the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), confirmed that both the suspects and the complainants have been identified, and a thorough investigation is now underway to establish the full details of what transpired. Police said:
Reference is made to a video which went viral on social media platforms depicting two handcuffed complainants being lifted by a frontend loader at the instigation of two suspects at Makanga Mine, Hereford Farm, Bindura.
The ZRP confirms that the suspects and complainants have been identified in connection with the incident which occurred on 13/07/24. Investigations are in progress.
Many commenters on Mangwana’s social media post expressed scepticism about his claims, questioning why the foreign nationals were not subjected to the due legal process.
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