Zimpapers Logo

Daniel Nemukuyu Senior Court Reporter
Former Chitungwiza town clerk Mr George Makunde, whose contract of employment expired in August this year, is clinging to the local authority’s Land Cruiser V8. Efforts by the municipality to recover the vehicle have hit a brick wall, resulting in the dispute spilling into the High Court.

Chitungwiza Municipality, through its lawyers Kantor & Immerman Legal Practitioners, on Friday filed an urgent chamber application at the High Court claiming back its vehicle from Mr Makunde. Mr Makunde’s five-year contract with the local authority ran from August 20, 2012 to August 19 this year.

This year, the local authority suspended Mr Makunde pending investigation into alleged misconduct, but it later emerged that his employment contract had since expired and termination was officially communicated to him on October 5. In the same letter, the municipality asked Mr Makunde to surrender the Land Cruiser V8 (registration number ACC 9620) to acting town clerk Ms Charity Maunga.

Mr Makunde refused to surrender the vehicle, resulting in the court application being filed at the High Court. In the application, Ms Maunga told the court that the vehicle remained council property and that Mr Makunde had no right to retain it after the expiry of his contract.