Andrew
A rickety bench with smudges of red floor polish which had become shiny due to overuse lay on one side while a rusty primus stove lay on the other as a young woman, barely 40, huddled for warmth with her four children under a torn blanket in this cold weather.
A fire they had lit to make the breeze a bit friendly had died down and all that could be seen was a pall of smoke billowing from a distance.
It was a tear-jerking experience that I would never wish even my sworn enemy to endure.
The young lady had been evicted from her lodgings over rent arrears and the landlord was not entertaining any interventions.
While the eviction gave the landlord ephemeral victory, it was outrightly against the law. Government has clear laws on landlord-tenant interactions, though these are usually ignored.
There is also a Rent Board which presides over disputes between the parties.
“I tried my best, but there comes a time when you realise that some things must come to an end. You may want to blame me for chucking them out, but that woman is difficult to assist.
“She is foul-mouthed, she lacks respect and hardly ever fulfils a promise. Ndangoti regai zviyende nekuti ini ndiri shirikadzi inorarama nemba yayo,” the landlord shouted as she went about her household chores without caring for the woman and her children.
While most people frowned at the sight of the young woman and her children sleeping in the cold, some property owners in the hood said this served as a good lesson to defaulting tenants.
“The situation could not have come to this if she was paying her rent. I hope other tenants are learning something because building a house is not a joke.
“I spent sleepless nights on an empty tummy while committing all resources to building my house and I equally would never entertain a tenant who does not pay up,” quipped a neighbouring homeowner who identified herself as Chihera.
“It’s quite simple here. This woman failed to meet her side of the bargain, leaving the property owner without a choice but to chuck her out.”
Welcome to the world of landlords and their tenants.
The bond is not strong at all. It is merely bound by payment and should you fail to do so, you are sent packing.
Renting for some people is as if you would have committed a crime as you are constantly reminded how expensive it is to own a house in town.
“I suffered a lot during my working years, my son. I, however, had a vision to be somebody in life and I would channel my resources towards that. During lunch breaks, I would either take a nap or read a book while my workmates ate expensive meals.
“They ate a lot of good food oblivious of the fact that things would change one day. Now all my peers who were splurging on alcohol, meat and women are struggling while I am in my own house.
“All that is needed is vision and commitment,” my former landlord would always tell me.
It was a worse crime if the volume of my radio was high as he would remind me that he did not build his house for me to come and make noise there.
In some instances, some landlords force their tenants to marry their daughters or close relatives by making their properties no-go areas for women from outside.
“We lock the gate by 9pm every day and unfortunately you may not have access to the keys because that will be tantamount to giving you the same rights as mine. We also do not allow visitors, especially those of the opposite sex because musha haufanire kufumuka.”
Tenants with vehicles are not entertained as they are considered threats. Those who are allowed to bring their cars, making the landlord sit at the back is considered a crime.
In most settings, a lodger is not allowed to take a bath before the owner of the house.
Some homeowners want to know the type of relish in the tenant’s fridge because stuff like beans and mazondo consumes a lot of electricity.
Gentle reader, renting at some characters’ properties is worse than a dog’s life, but someone has got to live it.
Inotambika mughetto.
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