War vets bay for liquidator’s blood

News
MORE than 30 Zimbabwe Ex-Combatants Investment Fund (Zexcom) shareholders thronged the firm’s Bulawayo offices last week baying for the blood of the provincial liquidator, demanding she address them and explain why they are not receiving any dividends, before petitioning that she should leave office.

MORE than 30 Zimbabwe Ex-Combatants Investment Fund (Zexcom) shareholders thronged the firm’s Bulawayo offices last week baying for the blood of the provincial liquidator, demanding she address them and explain why they are not receiving any dividends, before petitioning that she should leave office.

PATIENCE RATAMBWA OWN CORRESPONDENT

Allegations against provisional liquidator Barbara Lunga are that since her appointment as judicial manager of Zexcom Investment Fund (Pvt) Ltd in 2007, the shareholders have not received any dividends from the company.

The company owns a building in Bulawayo that receives rentals worth thousands of dollars monthly, a commercial complex in Murehwa, buses and other properties generating more than $30 000 per month, the former freedom fighters said.

Livid shareholders claimed that many properties were sold and they did not benefit from all that. They said Lunga planned on evicting tenants from their Bulawayo buildings while they owed Zexcom thousands of dollars in rental arrears.

They said she applied for the voluntary liquidation of the company because when it is closed she would not be charged.

“She (Lunga) is a former High Court employee so we believe she thinks she can go free because of that connection,” Shelter Mpofu, the chairman of the Zexcom Bulawayo said.

“She has a pending case at the regional court and has to answer to fraud allegations with the Judicial Service Commission.

“We want her to address us as our leader pertaining to the monetary issues in our company, but she won’t talk to us.

“We have never held a meeting under her leadership, which shows that she has a lot to hide from us.”

An 87-year-old Koro Nkomo could not hide his disgruntlement, saying his major problem was the hunger he faced, yet he knew war vets were generating money on a daily basis.

“I am deeply hurt because my children are starving at home while hers (Lunga) are well fed and schooled,” he lamented.

“She has to go.

“She does not respect the State or the company’s patron (President Robert Mugabe).”

Efforts to get comment from Lunga were fruitless, as she was said to be out of office. But in a separate meeting held by Zexcom shareholders and the police, she said she had court papers which supported her actions.