adminMashudu Netsianda Senior Court Reporter
A FORMER ZBC employee is locked in a legal row with her former employer over the transfer of a property which she allegedly bought from the public broadcaster 18 years ago.
Beaulah Patience Muponda, who is now based in the United Kingdom, yesterday filed an application at the Bulawayo High Court citing ZBC, its lawyers, Chihambakwe, Mutizwa and Partners Legal Practitioners and the Registrar of Deeds as respondents.
She accuses ZBC of deliberately delaying in completing transfer documents for a flat situated in Samuel Parirenyatwa Street.
Muponda, who is being represented by Masiye-Moyo and Associates, said she bought the property measuring 694 square metres in December 1997 for Z$110,000.
“On December 19, 1997 while I was employed by the first respondent (ZBC), they sold me an immovable property for the sum of for Z$110,000. The property in question was an undivided 5,555 percent share being share number 11 in the remaining extent of stand 714 situated in the Bulawayo district and held by ZBC under Deed of Transfer No.1907/1989,” said Muponda in her founding affidavit.
According to the court papers, Muponda and ZBC entered into an agreement of sale on the transfer of the property, which was to be effected upon payment of the full purchase price or on payment of deposit and provision of an acceptable guarantee for the balance. Muponda said despite paying the full amount with ZBC’s lawyers obtaining the capital gains clearance certificate from Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, she has not yet received the transfer of title deeds.
“I made numerous inquiries to ZBC’s lawyers and I’ve been taken from pillar to post and at times I would be told that the transfer was still pending. In some instances I would be told that my file could not be located at their Harare offices and these excuses continued until I left Zimbabwe to go and work in the UK,” said Muponda.
“In 2011, I then hired my legal practitioners to liaise with Chihambakwe, Mutizwa and Partners and their Bulawayo correspondent lawyers regarding the delay in the transfer and they stated that they had prepared new documents so that another attempt to process the transfer could be made.”
Muponda said despite having paid transfer fees in full to ZBC’s lawyers, they were now suggesting that her lawyers should process the transfers.
Bongani Ndlovu