10 STEPS BACKWARDS
Human rights abuses linked to Chinese investors and associates.
ZPP continues to monitor, together with other actors, the broader pattern of abuses by Chinese-owned
companies and individuals in Zimbabwe, marking systematic violations of human dignity, workers’ rights, and
community protections. These range from labour exploitation, such as unlawful wage deductions, intimidation,
and threats against workers at companies like Sunny Yi Feng in Norton, to gross land and livelihood rights
violations, including forced evictions without compensation in communities such as Mutandahwe in Chipinge
South. In Mashonaland West, in Norton, for example at Sunny Yi Feng, security personnel are being punished
with salary cuts if they fail to make at least five arrests per month, even when no theft or misconduct occurs.
This exploitative policy violates both labour law and the right to fair compensation. Victims frequently report
coercion, fear of retaliation, degrading treatment, and suppression of freedom of expression and association,
while women often face targeted humiliation and gender-based abuse. These violations reveal widespread
disregard for constitutional rights, labour laws, environmental safety standards, and community welfare,
demonstrating a disturbing culture of impunity among Chinese investors operating with the protection or
complicity of local authorities.
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