Zimpapers Logo

for incompetence.
Mr Ronald Godide was charged with the offence of gross incompetence or inefficiency in the performance of work resulting in more than five hours loss of production.
The facts that led to these allegations were that on March 12 2010 there was a screen problem at the Zimplats plant as pulp was being splashed on the ground.
The mill was stopped to change the rubber but it was not secured properly since the bolts that had been used to secure it were worn out.
As a result, the job had to be redone on March 14 2010 and one and half-hours of production were lost.
During the hearing, the disciplinary committee noted that it was the one and half-hours that was under contention. Labour Court president Ms Lilian Hove observed that the committee seemed to have found there was no gross incompetence, but that in failing to secure the screen by using worn bolts, the Mr Godide had been negligent and not grossly incompetent. Mr Godide was dismissed as he was allegedly already on final warning.
Ms Hove said: “The respondent’s submissions are addressing the wrong offence and therefore off the mark. Appellant was not found guilty of gross failure to attend to his duties.
“He again was not dismissed for incompetence, for gross negligence or dereliction of duty. Submissions made in the respondent’s heads to this effect are thus misplaced.”
The committee dismissed Mr Godide on the basis that he was sitting on a valid final written warning in respect of similar placed misconduct.
The record showed that the previous warning related to the loss by a colleague of a tool that had been allocated to Mr Godide.