In a court affidavit, police said Zhang Xuen shot an employee five times and wounded another at the mine he runs in central Zimbabwe’s Gweru province during a dispute with pending wage workers. .
Zhang has been charged with attempted murder, said Zimbabwean police spokesman Paul Nyathi.
The shooting occurred Sunday morning, when miner Kenneth Tachiona confronted Zhang after he allegedly refused to pay his salary in US dollars, as agreed, according to the affidavit.
Tachiona charged Zhang, who then drew his weapon, shooting the worker three times in the right thigh and twice in the left, according to the affidavit.
Police said Zhang shot the workers again, and one of the bullets grazed the chin of a staff member. Injured workers are being treated in a private hospital.
A video that many claim to be of the incident has been circulating on social media in Zimbabwe, sparking public anger and calls by a local watchdog for a reevaluation of Chinese mining operations in the country.
CNN has not been able to independently verify the video.
The Chinese embassy in Zimbabwe described the shooting as an isolated incident and said it supported an open and transparent investigation by local authorities.
Dangerous conditions
China is Zimbabwe’s largest foreign investor with significant interests in the country’s extractive sector.
But its presence in the country has sometimes been controversial.
ZELA is investigating several cases of Chinese miners refusing to pay wages or provide their workers with protective clothing, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to deputy director Shamiso Mutisi.
“It has become a pattern and a system. We have cases where Chinese miners abuse, beat and discriminate against miners,” said Mutisi.
Sunday’s shooting is another reason for the government to reconsider its political and economic commitments to China, the group said.
“In many parts of Africa, including Zimbabwe, Chinese mining investors have exhibited a history of poor standards for safety, health, the environment, labor and human rights,” the statement said.
CNN has contacted the Chinese Foreign Ministry for comment.
The Chinese community in Gweru has distanced itself from the recent incident and promised to pay the medical bills of the injured workers and support their families as they deal with the problem.
The Chinese community said in a statement that the incident does not reflect the behavior of its members, and that they have hired the company to compensate the workers.
“We sincerely hope that our friendship and cooperation between the two countries and the two peoples will not be tainted by this isolated incident, which does not reflect the behavior of all of us as a Chinese community,” the statement read.
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