Thousands of workers at struggling retail giant OK Zimbabwe face an uncertain future after the company reportedly suspended salaries and wages with immediate effect as part of ongoing corporate rescue proceedings.
A Joint Works Council resolution dated May 22, 2026, reveals that the company will stop running payrolls beginning this month until further notice, citing poor business performance and declining revenues.
The shocking move has raised serious questions about the future of one of Zimbabwe’s biggest supermarket chains.
How will workers survive without salaries?
What happens to employees’ outstanding wages and benefits?
Can OK Zimbabwe recover from the deepening financial crisis?
According to the resolution, the company’s board met urgently on February 23, 2026, before unanimously resolving to place the retailer under voluntary corporate rescue in terms of Section 122 of the Insolvency Act.
Corporate rescue practitioner Bulisa Mbano of Grant Thornton Zimbabwe was appointed to oversee efforts to revive the business.
“The company has agreed with its staff to suspend all salaries and wages with immediate effect and will, therefore, not be running any payroll beginning in the month of May 2026 until further notice,” reads part of the document.
The resolution further states that the payroll suspension is meant to stabilize the business while management works on restoring profitability.
However, the development is expected to trigger outrage among workers already battling Zimbabwe’s harsh economic conditions and rising cost of living.
The crisis at OK Zimbabwe has been brewing for months, with customers recently complaining about empty shelves, low stock levels and reduced product availability in several branches across the country.
Industry observers say the retailer has also been struggling with foreign currency shortages, supplier payment backlogs and stiff competition from informal traders and smaller shops.
The suspension of salaries now signals the seriousness of the financial meltdown engulfing the once-dominant retail chain.
Neither OK Zimbabwe management nor workers’ representatives had publicly commented further on the matter at the time of publishing.
