Five fight over Shangani property

News
A ROW has erupted between five Shangani business operators and a businesswoman over a State-acquired property which she allegedly illegally sublet to them.

A ROW has erupted between five Shangani business operators and a businesswoman over a State-acquired property which she allegedly illegally sublet to them.

SILAS NKALA STAFF REPORTER

The five — Prince Majuru, Nicholas Sibanda, Jerry Muchingami, Milton Moyo and Sizi Siwela — only recently discovered that the farm they were renting had been compulsorily acquired by the government under the land reform programme. The farm was once owned by the late David Goddard and his late son. The five had been paying rentals to the wife of Goddard’s son Botshiwe Ncube and they only discovered that they were not meant to be paying her after they defaulted and she took them to the civil court.

She was asked to produce ownership documents and failed. A local councillor said the property was State-owned and the rightful authority to pay rentals to was the Insiza Rural District Council. After the court threw out Ncube’s case, Majuru, Sibanda, Muchingami, Moyo and Siwela filed summons at the small claims court demanding reimbursement of their rental money totalling $4 200.

In their submissions, the five indicated that Ncube knowingly collected rentals from them illegally until a councillor told them they were being defrauded.

“He told us that we must be paying only for electricity and water and that’s when we stopped paying rent. Ncube then took us to court to claim rentals,” the applicants submitted.

“Ncube was subletting State property and we were paying rent to her. When we discovered that, Ncube was advised not to collect rentals from us.”

The case is yet to be heard.