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Christopher Chigumba

Lovemore Meya Court Correspondent
Chitungwiza South legislator and businessman, Christopher Chigumba, has come under fire from members of Zanoremba Housing Co-operative Society Limited for trying to personalise the housing project after he was made patron at its formation in 2004. Chigumba, through his lawyers Koto and Company, has approached Chitungwiza Civil Court seeking an interim interdict against the cooperative, its chairperson Kalisto Masango and nine other members pending the finalisation of case number HC2281/15 before the High Court.

Chigumba has gone to the High Court seeking to block Zanoremba Housing Cooperative Society Limited and eight members of the cooperative from allocating stands on a piece of land he claims belongs to him. In an application lodged at Chitungwiza Civil Court by Chigumba, Zanoremba Housing Cooperative Society Limited is cited as the first respondent.

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The cooperative and its members are represented by Mr Albert Nyikadzino of Nyikadzino, Simango and Associates. Chigumba owns Chigumba Property Holdings Private Limited, which is cited as first applicant and Zanoremba Housing Company (Pvt) limited as second applicant in his application.

He said he filed the case as applicants’ director and got the land after approaching the then Governor of Harare Province Cde Witness Mangwende with a request to be allocated land for housing developments.

“I started to do the project in the name of Chigumba Property Holdings (Pvt) Ltd, my own company. The company was trading as Zanoremba Housing Cooperative. Even agreements with beneficiaries show that Chigumba Property Holdings was trading as Zanoremba Housing Cooperative. It was issuing receipts with the inscription of Zanoremba Housing Cooperative,” reads part of his application.

Chigumba said the respondents on August 6 and 7 started allocating stands to unsuspecting members of the public. In their notice of opposition, through Mr Nyikadzino, the respondents dismissed Chigumba’s claims. “Chigumba now knows that his fraudulent activities relating to the affairs of the first respondent were exposed.

“Chigumba or any of his companies do not have anything to do with the affairs of first respondent. “In 2004, several home seekers made a resolution to form a housing co-operative and entrusted Chigumba by virtue of being a businessman and a politician. He was made the patron of the co-operative. The members agreed to name it Zanoremba Housing Cooperative.

“He intended the cooperative to be his own personal land and be registered in the name of his company, Chigumba Property Holdings (Pvt) Ltd and later Zanoremba Housing Company (Pvt) Ltd,” reads the notice. The matter will be heard tomorrow.