11-05-2025
SA workers at troubled Mozambique mine are paid just a fraction of monthly salary
The events at Nsimbi Mining Services reflect a broader pattern of unpaid wages and growing worker and community protests in Mozambique.
A week after Nsimbi Mining Services managers were held hostage by striking miners in Mozambique's Tete province, Mozambican miners reported receiving a full month's salary on the promised date, while South African staff said they were paid late and received only about a quarter of their monthly salary.
In addition, one supplier is still waiting for payment. 'Nothing yet and there's no promised date,' said the supplier.
Two South African employees at Nsimbi Mining Services, who wished to remain anonymous, confirmed the partial payments.
One of the employees said, 'I received 60,000 meticais (about R17,000) late on Friday, 2 May from Nsimbi Mining Services, which does not even equal a quarter of my salary. I continue waiting for the rest of my money.'
The miner said they had asked Craig Dube, Nsimbi's managing director, for an update on payments, and his response was, 'As I understand our communication is now through the media, let me respond through the same channel.'
Daily Maverick attempted to contact Dube multiple times over the past week without receiving a response. A WhatsApp message on 3 May was blue-ticked with no response, and another WhatsApp message on 8 May appears to be unread. Daily Maverick also tried calling Dube with no success. Japie du Toit, a manager at Nsimbi Mining Services, said Dube would travel to Tete this week.
Broader socioeconomic challenges
Marisa Lourenco, a political analyst in Johannesburg, told Daily Maverick that the events at Nsimbi reflect a broader pattern of unpaid wages and growing worker and community protests in Mozambique. She highlighted recent protests against the Irish mining company Kenmare Resources and the French hydrocarbons firm TotalEnergies over unfulfilled promises and rights violations.
In December, Agência de Informação de Moçambique reported that a large crowd had invaded Kenmare's main camp, demanding that the mining operations provide benefits for the local community.
This occurred after the company failed to honour a longstanding promise to build a bridge linking Topuito (site of Kenmare's mine) to the Larde district capital.
Lourenco noted that poor community relations and weak government oversight, exacerbated by corruption, had emboldened workers and communities to hold companies accountable and to often disrupt operations.
'The business environment in Mozambique is becoming more challenging as companies face communities and workers expressing grievances,' said Lourenco, emphasising that socioeconomic hardships had deepened, with poverty rates rising from 46% in 2015 to 65% today.
Background
Nsimbi Mining Services, which provides support services to the Moatize Coal Mine operated by Vulcan International, has struggled with delayed payments to workers since early 2024.
Months of unpaid wages sparked a strike by employees last month, culminating in a tense hostage situation in which two South African managers and a Mozambican HR manager were confined in the company's Tete offices. The standoff ended after police intervention and promises of partial wage payments.
The financial strain on Nsimbi is symptomatic of wider challenges facing Mozambique's coal sector. Global coal prices have slumped sharply in 2025 amid oversupply and shifting energy markets, while local disruptions, including post-election violence and logistical bottlenecks, have compounded operational difficulties.
These pressures have forced major players like Vulcan International to cut jobs and restructure, intensifying economic uncertainty in mining communities heavily reliant on the industry. DM
