adminLovemore Mataire Harare Bureau
THE seizure of property belonging to MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai was yesterday halted after the opposition party made an urgent chamber application for stay of execution at the High Court.
The Assistant Sheriff of the High Court had descended on Tsvangirai’s Highlands house upon the expiry of 48 hours after identifying property for attachment and removal cited in the writ of execution obtained by the 14 workers who were unfairly dismissed in 2010.
However, just as the Assistant Sheriff was about to load an assortment of household property onto a van, some MDC-T officials arrived at the house armed with an inter-pleader application filed at the High Court.
MDC-T spokesperson Obert Gutu said it was improper for the Assistant Sheriff to attempt to seize property belonging to Tsvangirai because of pending legal processes.
“There is also an inter-pleader application that was filed at the High Court clearly submitting that the 14 former employees were employed by the MDC-T and not by president Morgan Tsvangirai in his personal capacity. As such, there is absolutely no factual and/or legal basis upon which the Assistant Sheriff could proceed to attach and remove president Tsvangirai’s personal household property. Tsvangirai is not a party to the legal proceedings that are presently pending at the Labour Court in Harare,” said Gutu.
Gutu said the MDC-T successfully won a stay of execution at the Labour Court on June 3, 2015, which he said stipulated that Tsvangirai’s personal property should not be attached and removed in execution of debt.
He said Tsvangirai and the MDC-T were two separate and distinct legal personas.
“The High Court Registrar will soon be setting down for hearing the application for stay of execution against the party’s property. It is in respect of these legal processes that this second attempt to attach and remove property was stopped,” Gutu said.
Property belonging to MDC-T leader Tsvangirai was on Tuesday identified by the Assistant Sheriff for attachment after former employees obtained a writ of execution for unlawful dismissal.
According to the writ of execution, the Assistant Sheriff was required and directed to attach and take into execution movable goods belonging to Tsvangirai at his Highlands house in Harare.
Online Reporter