A CHINESE investor has come out fighting to keep vast tracts of land in Harare’s upmarket Borrowdale area owned by his two companies.
Liaming Jin has enlisted the services of lawyers, Chimuka Mafunga Commercial Attorneys, to fight West Property and Dandaro Retirement Village — whom he has accused of violating his companies’ rights. Jin owns Borrowdale Investments and Vifot Investments, which are both represented by Chimuka and Mafunga.
In their complaint against West Property filed on July 14, the lawyers accused its employees of allegedly “trespassing and unlawfully excavating” on Borrowdale Investment’s property. West Property is owned by business magnate Ken Sharpe.
“We confirm that on July 11, 2024, our client pressed some criminal charges against your client and its employees for excavating through our client`s property without notice.
“We confirm that at the vetting of the matter and the postponement of the vetting process on July 12, your E Samkange and our N Chimuka, ‘on a without a prejudice basis’, had a conversation regarding the possibility of coming up with a holistic settlement arrangement to allow parties to co-exist as neighbours and avert the possibility of future squabbles.
“We believe this is the best way forward and it can only be in the interest of progress and development,” the lawyers said in their correspondence with West Property lawyers.
“We advise that we informed our client about the conversation we had and we received the green light to engage with you and yours. “May we know what your client’s attitude is towards the creation of a lasting solution which allows peace and sanity to prevail between the parties,” they added.
In another complaint against Dandaro Retirement Village, Chimuka Mafunga, this time representing Vifot Investment, demanded US$70 000 compensation for allegedly bringing down sixty metres of the company’s security wall.
The same property in also in Borrowdale, next to the one allegedly excavated by West Property employees. In a letter dated July 14, Vifot Investment said the village employees had intentionally demolished its 60 meters precast wall using heavy construction machinery.
“We are advised that on or around the 1st of July 2024 certain employees of Dandaro, during the course and scope of their employment, maliciously and with criminal intent, demolished our client’s durawall using earthmoving JCB equipment. “We are further advised that Dandaro and its employees pulled down a staggering sixty metres of the Durawall for no apparent, justifiable or legal reason.
Dandaro’s unlawful conduct left our client’s property exposed,” the lawyers wrote to the directors of the retirement village.
“Our client further advises that the criminal conduct was reported to the police and ever since the matter was reported, Dandaro and its employees have failed, neglected and/or refused to attend at the police station to give a statement. “We are stating your organisation’s contemptuous behaviour against law enforcement authorities for the record,” they added.
They further alleged that Dandaro had committed another criminal case by failing “to avail itself and those natural persons by whose hand it acted criminally” to the police. “We advise that Dandaro’s criminal conduct caused our client to suffer a patrimonial loss in the sum of US$70 000 (the compensation amount)