No chimbuya for Shoprite workers

SHOPRITE workers hoping to honour their departed colleagues by turning fellow employees into walking bags of mealie meal will now have to leave the powder at home after management banned the practice of smearing workers with substances at company premises.

In a memo issued to all management, staff and auxiliary workers, Shoprite general manager Charles Bota said while the company respects Zambia’s cultural traditions, the practice commonly known as chimbuya has no place in the workplace.

Traditionally, relatives and friends smear each other with mealie meal, ash, powder and other substances during funerals as part of mourning customs between Easterners and Northerners.

However, Bota said the supermarket giant has drawn a line between cultural practices and workplace professionalism.

“Management recognises and respects the diverse cultural traditions and customs observed by employees in their personal lives and communities,” Bota stated.