adminA LEGAL battle is brewing between directors of Blue Star Motors in Mutare and Zuva Petroleum after the latter allegedly seconded another firm to sell fuel at its premises that are still being rented by the former.
Zuva Petroleum was once BP & Shell Marketing Services and it rebranded to Zuva after Masawara acquired BP & Shell assets in 2010.
The director of Blue Star Motors and Mutare Motor Spares, Mr Nigel Ewart revealed on Wednesday that Zuva, which recently finished refurbishing the service station, seconded workers from another service station to sell fuel on his premises.
“We are tenants here since 1966 and on Monday we were surprised to see workers from another service station coming to take over operations. My workers who had since signed contracts with Zuva are now jobless. My bone of contention is that you don’t just evict someone. There are proper procedures that need to be taken to evict a tenant and not what is happening here. They have brought workers from another service station in the city that is being run by Mashoko Marime to oversee operations here without our consent. It’s an ambush,” he said.
The company’s lawyer, Mr Victor Chinzamba of Mugadza, Chinzamba and Partners Legal Practitioners said Zuva’s actions were illegal.
He said they were in the process preparing court papers to contest the sudden take-over of operations at the service station.
“My client is the legal tenant at that service station. As is stands, there is gross violation of the law and we are going to file papers to stop the illegal activities. At law, you don’t just bring another tenant when there is another tenant in situ,” he said.
When contacted for comment, Mr Marime who runs another Zuva service station in Mutare said Zuva was doing what it deems fit with its properties. “Is Ewart the owner of those premises? The property belongs to Zuva and they do what they feel with their assets. How can I send my workers to someone’s business venture from the blue? All these answers rest with the people at Zuva. Contact managers at Zuva they will tell you what is happening,” he said.
Zuva sales and marketing manager, Mr Zwelithini Mlotshwa, said he was not in a position to comment on the developments at Blue Star Motors saying the matter was being handled by the company’s legal department.
“I don’t have the authority to comment on that since the issue is being handled by our legal department. You can contact our chief executive officer as he is better placed to talk to you,” he said.
Efforts to contact Zuva CEO, Mr Bethwell Gumbo, were fruitless at the time of going to print.
When the Manica Post visited the service station, new faces were selling fuel at the forecourt, while Blue Star Motors employees milled around with nothing to do.
At the beginning of the year, Zuva secured $20 million offshore to fund the rebranding of its 72 service stations dotted countrywide in a bid to increase the company’s market share in the highly competitive petroleum industry.
In 2014 a consortium led by Mr John Mushayavanhu snapped up a controlling shareholding in Zuva from Masawara in a deal worth close to $30 million.
Online Reporter