ZIMBABWE National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) Mashonaland Central provincial chairperson, Sam Parerenyatwa said the Harare City Council officials are politically persecuting him after they threatened to evict him from a shop in the Central Business District (CBD).
This comes after Parerenyatwa’s Bubble Tech (Private) Limited entered into a Built Operate and Transfer (BOT) arrangement with Harare City Council but they are now trying to evict him from the shop without following proper procedures.
In a letter to July Moyo written last week, Parerenyatwa said he is being victimised because he belongs to the ruling party.
“The Ministry of Defence and War Veterans Affairs also tried their best to assist as they executed their mandate over the affairs of veterans of the liberation struggle. However, after well-informed deliberations, we realized that the Harare council officials who want to victimize me are hiding behind a council resolution which they fraudulently obtained after misrepresenting facts to a full council meeting. Despite promises made in various meetings we have held together with council officials, it has become apparent that no one is prepared and able to reverse that ill-gotten resolution being used to evict me.They are victimising me because I belong to Zanu PF.
“I have been reliably advised that apart from council reversing its resolution on its own, which they are reluctant to do besides numerous promises, there are other two possible avenues that might be legally used. The first is going to court to have the resolution nullified.
“The second is that of a Ministerial directive from your honourable office, which I find to be most ideal and favourable under the current circumstances. As I alluded to in my first letter to you, I am a victim of my political involvement and my only salvation should be coming from your highly esteemed office. I therefore humbly request you, Honourable Minister to issue a Ministerial directive to: Reverse the said ill-gotten council resolution. Allow me to return ownership of the building I constructed using my proceeds from the war veterans fund.”
However, in their court papers HCCC filed at Harare Civil Court said Pararenyatwa is failing to pay rentals.
“The terms of which were to the effect that the Defendant would use the Plaintiff’s property in lieu of improvements without paying rent. The BOT was to commence on the 1 of November 2007 and ended on the 31” of October 2012 after which the property would be surrendered to the Plaintiff.
“After the expiry of the BOT the defendant remained in illegal occupation of the Plaintiff’s property and refused to vacate. The Plaintiff was left with no option but to charge the Defendant with costs of rentals charged on such a business premise as holding over damages.
“To date, the defendant accumulated arrears amounting to zw$50 520.10 and the monthly charge is currently zw$3 680.00 . The Defendant is also “subletting the property, and profiting at the expense of the Plaintiff, which is against the Plaintiff’s policies.”