This man defied big business on behalf of a poor laborer
After sixteen months Nyimba Muzoka, the man who was fired for growing corn in the wrong place at PAMA Meats Farm in Mazabuka, Zambia, is finally getting referred to the Industrial Relations Court of Zambia. If workers at this huge cattle farm had been allowed to be unionized, perhaps someone would have informed him of his rights to appeal a patently illegal dismissal that followed none of the procedures required by law.
But this man, Griffin Sakala, went to the PAMA offices to investigate their records regarding Nyimba Muzoka’s dismissal and found that his suspicions were correct. There was nothing. No letter of warning, no hearing for Nyimba to defend himself, no 30 day notice, no end payments. Just get out of here in 24 hours, take this $100 and get out of here, with your family of eight.
Now we must pray that the Industrial Relations Court will waive the year appeal limit in light of Mr. Mazoka’s and our ignorance of this process.
Where will Nyimba's granddaughter live without a home?
As a tenant farmer on a large cattle plantation near the big city of Lusaka, Nyimba is beholden to the huge corporation Northern Zambezi Traders/PAMA Meats.
For years Nyimba’s monthly was about $75, barely enough to survive. His end-payments were supposed to accumulate, and after his eight years there, they should have amounted to $2000, enough to start a small business.
During these 8 years, Nyimba and his wife raised 5 children in substandard housing; a tiny metal quanset hut with three curtained-off stalls as bedrooms, no plumbing or electricity. The oldest, Ann, was born paralyzed from the neck down, so Anastasia was unable to work. I became involved with the family when Sydney requested a wheelchair for his cousin.
Because transport to the hospital was unaffordable, Ann died from Malaria in 2009.
After this tragedy Sydney asked the AACDP to help them buy supplies for a small crop of corn that would feed the family for a year. It seemed the least we could do.
In January 2010, just as his corn was ready for harvest, Nyimba was fired for growing his corn in the wrong area. Although others had used the same land, they were not fired. He was forced to leave his home within 24 hours and denied his $2000 end-payment.
I have spent a lot of time and energy researching contact info for this company to question them concerning this inhumane “policy” which I have heard is illegal but widely tolerated. We looked for agencies that should have been able to help us: the Zambian Labor Office and the International Farm Workers Union, but all avenues led to empty promises or affirmation of the company.
No one was interested in supporting a poor Zambian man against a big corporation.
When in Zambia this March I went several times to Mazabuka to speak to the farm manager at PAMA, who was clearly uncomfortable and offered no help at all, as well as the Labour Office there. The Senior Officer there seemed to agree that none of the proper procedures for dismissal had been followed and said he would look into the matter. That was weeks ago, and so far, I have heard nothing.
I met a young lawyer who promised to find help for our dispute. The liberal paper agreed to listen to this story. Can we succeed in getting this case heard by a legitimate court, the one called the Industrial Relations Court? That’s our goal, and I’m not giving up.
These are the women of the God Given Gift Group. They are mothers and grandmothers of disabled children who attend the Mama Bakhita Cheshire Center in Livingstone, Zambia.In two year’s time they have grown into a true cooperative sharing the work and profits from the sales of their Zambezi dolls and crocheted bags. With money in their bank account they have loaned to each woman enough to start a small business, paid back with a small interest, effectively running their own in house micro lending bank. Selling vegetables, charcoal, dried fish, or handmade goods, they can now pay rent, clothe and feed their families and get basic medical care. We are all very proud of what they have accomplished.
It all started with the creation of the Zambezi Doll Project in 2010.
