Zimpapers Logo

The Rhodesia Herald, 

January 27, 1972 

A former general foreman at Lewis Construction Company yesterday denied charges under the Usury Act alleging he lend money to Africans at excessive rates of interest. 

Carel Lodewyck Visser, of Copshaw Road, Waterfalls, pleaded not guilty to 331 contraventions – 22 of which 331 were withdrawn – of a section of the Act. 

Visser, defended by Mr NJ McNally, also pleaded not guilty, to a charge under the same act, of carrying on the business of a money lender when not in possession of a money lender’s licence. 

Mrs FM Wilson, prosecuting, said 22 of the contraventions on the first count would be withdrawn. The magistrate, Mr DK Utting, found Visser not guilty of these. 

Mrs Wilson said Visser had been in charge of a number of African labourers of Lewis Construction.  

The State alleged that on paydays during the period mentioned employees had loans from Visser and made repayments. 

Mr Chirenga, an employee at the company, said he earned $9 a week. Every week he borrowed $4 “from the foreman”.  

He paid back the next week $5 on what he had borrowed, he alleged. 

“I never objected to it because everyone was doing it,” said Mr.  Chirenga. 

Cross-examined by Mr McNally, Mr Chirenga said he had never dealt directly with Visser. He received the money through a man called Boro. 

He denied he was lying in implicating Visser. 

Boro, giving evidence, said although he was paid by the company, he did domestic work for Visser.  

Mr McNally suggested to him that there had never been any system of weekly borrowing and paying back. 

Boro said he was telling the truth. Visser, he alleged, had a least of names of people who owed him money. 

Mr McNally is instructed by Mr Bryan Anderson of Greenblatt, Posner, and Partners.  

Lessons for today 

Usury is the practice of making unethical or immoral monetary loans that unfairly enrich the lender. 

In some countries usury is illegal and can land one in jail. Even the bible condemns usury “Take thou no usury of him, or increase: but fear thy God; that thy brother may live with thee”. Leviticus 25:37 

Usury can have serious financial implications on the borrower. Most borrowers are usually caught up in vicious debt traps that they sometimes find very difficult to get out of.