Pay Travel Bureau  $27 000, court orders Zifa Jonathan Mashingaidze
Jonathan Mashingaidze

Jonathan Mashingaidze

Daniel Nemukuyu Senior Court Reporter
The Zimbabwe Football Association has been ordered to pay $27 870 to The Travel Bureau, an agent that facilitated and paid airfares for the national soccer team’s foreign trips.

ZIFA engaged the travel agent to facilitate the team’s foreign trips and the company bought air tickets for the national team.

The football body allegedly paid part of the debt and left a balance of $27 870.

Efforts by the travel agent to recover the debt were fruitless, resulting in the matter spilling into the High Court.

Gutu and Chikowero Legal Practitioners issued summons on behalf of The Travel Bureau on October 5 this year claiming $27 870 plus interest.

Zifa, its chief executive Jonathan Mashingaidze and former president Dr Cuthbert Dube were listed as defendants.

Nine days later Zifa and its officials filed their appearance to defence the matter but did not file any further documents.

The travel company then concluded that the national football body had no meaningful defence before applying for summary judgment.

Justice Joseph Musakwa last week granted the order sought and ordered Zifa to pay up the debt.

“It is ordered that the respondents be and are hereby ordered to pay the applicant the sum of $27 870 jointly and severally the one paying the other to be absolved, plus interest at the prescribed rate from May 26 2015 to date of full payment.

“The respondents pay costs of suit,” ruled Justice Musakwa.

The Travel Bureau argued that Zifa had acknowledged its indebtedness to the applicant in a letter dated May 22 2015.

In the letter in question, Zifa undertook to have cleared the debt within four days but nothing materialised.

On July 31 this year, Zifa wrote another letter acknowledging the debt but requesting for more time to pay.

To that end, The Travel Bureau argued that Zifa’s appearance to defend was only filed as a delaying tactic when it had no meaningful defence.

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