adminTendai Gukutikwa
MUTARE businessman and Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce president, Hlanganiso Matangaidze, has approached the courts disputing the attachment of a vehicle by the Messenger of Court following a labour ruling involving one of his closed companies.
The motor vehicle, an Isuzu KB Double cab truck, was attached on February 2, 2015 after four former employees of Matan Lumber dragged the closed company to court concerning their outstanding salaries.
Matan Lumber is a partnership between Matangaidze and Patrick Kupenga.
Mrs Annia Ndiraya presided over the matter.
The four, Kenneth Mutsiyabako, James Nyamambiri, Lovemore Khumalo and Walter Njozi won their case, resulting in the attachment of the vehicle.
Matangaidze is disputing the attachment of the vehicle saying it belongs to Matan Holdings Private Limited and not Matan Lumber.
He said Matan Holdings has no strings attached whatsoever to Matan Lumber.
He produced documents that showed that the car was bought on January 14, 2005 at Hardon Motors by Matan Holdings.
“Matan Holdings is a duly incorporated company and since the judgment was set on Matan Lumber, its own property was supposed to be attached,” he said.
The four workers disputed his submissions claiming when they worked for Matan Lumber, they used the same vehicle as transport and used some of Matan Holdings services.
“The company Matan Lumber had no bank account and all financial transactions were done in the name of Matan Holdings.
“We also used Matan Holdings’ date stamps and our salaries even came from Matan Holdings. How then can he stand there and testify that the two companies had no relationship whatsoever?” said Nyamambiri.
Said Mutsiyabako: “We also had no secretary or accountants at Matan Lumber. All services were done in the name of Matan Holdings Private Limited and the attachment of the vehicle can not be disputed.”
Matangaidze did not dispute the fact that computing services for Matan Lumber were done at Matan Holdings, but he went on to tell the court that those were just services that Matan Holdings offered Lumber since it had no computers of its own.
“Matan Holdings only provided computing services for Matan Lumber, but that does not make them one company,” he added.
The ruling is on July 10.
Online Reporter