CHIPINGE Rural District Council (CRDC) is facing a major embarrassment after its fleet of vehicles and heavy equipment was placed under the hammer to recover more than US$300 000 owed to a former employee who was unfairly dismissed in 2018.
The auction, set for September 18 at the council premises in Chipinge, follows the council’s failure to comply with a series of labour and court orders arising from its protracted dispute with former workshop superintendent Samuel Chimuriwo.
Among the assets lined up for auction are running vehicles, including a seven-tonne Isuzu HP truck and a Toyota Hilux D4D, while heavy equipment such as a brand-new Mahindra 75HP tractor and a brand-new New Holland tractor will also go under the hammer.
A TATA tipper, Nissan UD truck and a roll compactor are also listed for sale.
Non-running equipment and vehicles on the auction list include a TLB, Toyota Hiace, Isuzu single-cab truck and Nissan NP300 double-cab.
The sale has been triggered by Chimuriwo’s long-running battle with the local authority after his dismissal in December 2018.
Chimuriwo was reassigned from his position as workshop superintendent to the council’s Checheche sub-office, where he was to work as supervisor with effect from October 1, 2018.
He objected to the reassignment and lodged a grievance.
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According to the arbitration proceedings, Chimuriwo went on leave from September 17 to 30, 2018, but did not report for duty at Checheche after his leave expired.
He remained away from the new station from October 1 to November 17, 2018, citing illness.
The council subsequently charged him with wilful disobedience of a lawful order and absenteeism.
A disciplinary hearing was held in November 2018, resulting in the termination of his employment contract in December that year after his internal appeals failed.
Chimuriwo, however, escalated the fight and successfully appealed to the exemptions committee of the National Employment Council (NEC) for rural district councils.
The local authority challenged the decision at the Labour Court but lost.
The council nevertheless failed to comply, prompting Chimuriwo to take the matter to arbitration, where he again emerged victorious.
The local authority appealed the arbitration outcome, but once again lost.
Arbitrator Owen Hungwe subsequently ordered the council to comply with the court orders and reinstate Chimuriwo to his former position without loss of salary and benefits.
Hungwe also ordered CRDC to pay Chimuriwo US$233 102.55 in salary arrears and US$58 275.64 in union dues covering the period December 2018 to March 1, 2026.
The arbitration ruling further found that the council had engaged in an unfair labour practice.
With the council allegedly failing to comply with the orders, the Sheriff of the High Court of Zimbabwe moved to enforce the judgment by attaching the local authority’s movable assets.
The development could leave the cash-strapped local authority without some of its key operational equipment if the vehicles and machinery are successfully sold.
