HARARE - The attachment of property of youth empowerment activist James Pande was precipitated by a deal gone sour between a high-ranking government minister and businessman Isaac Levy.
Pande is president of the Zimbabwe Entrepreneurs Youth Action (Zeya) and is famed for his Hovhorosi style designer clothing label holding President Robert Mugabe’s loopy signature.
According to Pande, Levy is the owner of First Mutual Finance Private Limited which has attached his property over non-payment of rental arrears and related charges amounting to nearly $10 000.
Speaking from South Africa, Pande said they were tasked by the minister (name withheld) to manage property in Kadoma belonging to Levy, son of the late business mogul Sam Levy, who was having problems in collecting rent from his tenants.
“The minister tasked us to help in a dispute at Kadoma Sam Levy and manage the property for three years,” he said.
“We were supposed to get 20 percent of the rental arrears and current rentals which they agreed verbally, but later Isaac offered two flats for that period which are number 17 and number 4 Bramley Gardens. This was a gentleman’s agreement and no cent or lease agreement was signed. When everyone at the complex started paying, he started shifting goal posts.”
Harare Civil Court magistrate Vongai Muchuchuti gave a default judgment after James failed to appear in court and ordered him to pay $9 993 inclusive of damages and cost of lawsuit.
However, James’ brother, Joseph, later filed an appeal asking the court to rescind the ruling saying the property attached belonged to him.
The Daily News is reliably informed that the brother was the one who was staying at the flat “allocated to Pande to stay for free for services rendered” at the behest of the said minister and in agreement with Levy.