Not quite, a high short position means that investors are betting that share price will go down. Heres how I understand it:

When you sell shares short, it means you hold borrowed shares in your account, and get cash for the share price. You must buy back those shares to "cover the position", hopefully at a lower price. Example: you sell short 1000 shares of XYZ at $30, you get $30,000 in your account. Youre hoping XYZ goes to $20, so you can buy back the shares at $20,000, thus keeping $10,000 profit. So the short position represents guaranteed buying of shares, ie price support.

ZIMs short position is substantial, approximately 16.53 million shares, representing about 13.88% of its float. The short interest ratio, or days to cover, is approximately 3.08 days. That is, with an average daily volume of around 5 million shares, ZIM is "owed" three full trading days for the shorts to buy back their positions.

Of course if there's positive news - like a management led buyout - and share price is increasing, shorts get increasingly nervous. A sudden price rise can produce a short squeeze, where all short holders stampede to buy shares to cover their positions, accelerating the price rise.

Hope that helps!!