adminLeonard Ncube Senior Court Reporter
BULAWAYO businessman and farmer, Sweet Sweet, faces ouster from the helm of a cooperative he founded.
He has since approached the High Court seeking an order to bar executive members of a burial society linked to his cooperative from visiting his offices accusing them of seeking to overthrow him.
Sweet Sweet chairs the Swedi Automotive Engineering cooperative formed in 1999 with offices at Salaamat Building in the city centre.
The executive members — Nesbert Chikaka, Geshem Gara, Jerias Jonga, Margarette Nyamangara and Norman Chitemerere — who also make part of Zvimba Burial Society, reportedly convened a meeting where they resolved to unseat Sweet Sweet and other executive members of the cooperative.
“I am the chair and founder of Swedi Automotive Engineering cooperative and on January 27, 2014 Chikaka invited me to a meeting of Zvimba Burial Society,” said Sweet in an urgent chamber application.
He said he did not attend the meeting on February 2 and the respondents — Chikaka, Gara, Jonga, Nyamangara and Chitemerere — bulldozed their way into his office to give him a notice to vacate the office within 24 hours following a vote of no confidence.
Sweet told the respondents that their meeting was a nullity. “I fear they may visit again to further their illegal and illegitimate agenda,” added Sweet in his founding affidavit.
Sweet said Chikaka, Gara, Jonga, Nyamangara and Chitemerere were aggrieved because they were suspended from the cooperative.
Justice Lawrence Kamocha granted him an interim order restraining respondents from setting foot or visiting the office or contacting him through the phone.
“Pending confirmation or discharge of this order, the respondents are restrained,” Justice Kamocha said.
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