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Herald Reporter

Tobacco Sales Floor (TSF) is at loggerheads with Southerton Constituency Development Trust (SCCDT) which is questioning the legality of barricading a road parallel to Glen Eagles Road.

SCCDT is an entity tasked with promoting and protecting the interests of residents of Southerton, chaired by Ms Lenley Carhill. It has since engaged TSF lawyers to clarify the issue.

In a letter dated April 27, served to TSF through Mapondera and Company Legal Practitioners, the residents said the blockade sought to prevent commuters omnibuses from accessing Glen Eagles Road.

The lawyers said they wrote to TSF acting on behalf of SCCDT, an entity tasked to promote and protect the interests of residents of Southerton.

They said their client noted that TSF had closed off the road parallel to Glen Eagles Road and went on to fence off and place stones on the island immediately in front of the TSF new complex.

“We are further instructed that in doing so, TSF has restricted access to a portion of the area which residents of Southerton community normally earn a living from, by temporarily selling wares to tobacco farmers who come to this vicinity. 

“The blockade of the road by TSF has caused a challenge to drivers and commuters who use this road.

“We are instructed to demand, as we hereby do, for TSF to produce the authorisation it has for carrying out the above stated actions of restricting access to public areas, which the community is entitled to,” said the lawyers.

SCCDT has demanded response within four days of receiving the letter, failure of which result in a court battle for the removal of the blockade.

The letter was received by TSF executive director, Mr Peter Mujaya.

SCCDT chairperson Ms Carhill said TSF was yet to respond to the letter.

“We are yet to receive the response perhaps they are taking it for granted, but we are not joking and we will approach the courts very soon,” said Ms Carhill.

Contacted for comment, TSF public relations manager Ms Annah Mangwiro referred questions to Mr Mujaya, whose phone was unreachable.