Nkosentsha Khumalo
In the annals of workplace disputes, few have been quite as bizarre as what transpired in Zimbabwe’s largest City, Harare, were a woman wielded an unlikely weapon in her struggle for fair compensation, a live tortoise, which she used to threaten her Human Resources manager over unpaid wages.
This strange but true event has captured the imaginations of many workers everywhere, proving that when it comes to getting what you are owed, the phrase ‘never underestimate the power of a tortoise’ might just ring true.
Sithembiso Budzirikawa, a 58 Year Old woman from Goromonzi, had reached the end of her rope with her employer.
Budzirikawa was employed by Cliff Security from April to August last year as a security guard.
Fed up with not being paid for her hard work, she decided to take matters into her own hands or rather, her own reptilian ally’s.
She arrived at work with a live tortoise in tow, decorated in red paint and needles to serve as a visual warning of her intent to seek justice for her unpaid wages.
In a brazen act of defiance, on August 21, this week, Sithembiso Budzirikawa was at her workplace with the tortoise which was to assist her get what she rightly deserve.
Budzirikawa demanded payment for her unpaid wages, and when again, she was met with resistance from the Human Resources Manager Mr Cassius Nyemudzwa, she escalated the situation by threatening the manager with the tortoise, stating harm will befall the manager and that she intended to use it to secure her due compensation.
Prosecutor Nomsa Kangara told the court that the tortoise which had seemingly been transformed into a fierce talisman by Budzirikawa, was covered in red floor polish and a red piece of cloth with needles around it.
The sight of this unorthodox weapon and Budzirikawa’s subsequent threat prompted the HR manager to report the matter to the Police, leading to Budzirikawa’s subsequent arrest as she was unable to produce the necessary permit authorizing her to transport a live tortoise.
The unorthodox tactics and outright defiance failed to pay off, and Budzirikawa now faced legal consequences.
Budzirikawa’s turtle led crusade for justice landed her in a court of law, where she was found guilty of violating the Wildlife Act.
The Magistrate handed down a sentence of US$300 or three months in prison as a sobering reality check for the would-be avenger.
Though her unconventional methods may have grabbed headlines, in the end, they did not earn her the compensation she sought.
Zim GBC News ©2024