News / Local
Former-police chief 'refuses' to vacate govt house
13 Jan 2014 at 02:00hrs | Views
A former police deputy commissioner is reportedly refusing to vacate a house allocated to him in Bulawayo when he was still in office.
Moses Griffith Mpofu, 60, has been taken to court by the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, which wants to push him out of the house along Eversham Road, Southwold.
Mpofu retired from the police on December 31, 2004 on medical grounds after suffering from dementia cerebrovascular following an accident he was involved in, in 2003, which affected his cognitive function and memory.
According to court documents, Mpofu was at some point admitted to Ingutsheni Central Hospital with a mental disturbance.
The case was started by the then Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities.
While the ministry argued that Mpofu was supposed to have moved out of the house long back because he has another house in Mahatshula, the former police officer has argued that there is no proof that he has such a house.
He said the house was once offered to him to buy and the offer was revoked clandestinely.
The ministry's argument is that government houses are meant for civil servants who are in service and in dire need of accommodation, and Mpofu's continued stay in the house is disadvantaging other civil servants.
The application for eviction was made in January 2012 through the Civil Division of the Attorney General's Office represented by the then Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, David Munyoro.
It is alleged that Mpofu was not paying rentals and when legal proceedings were instituted against him he owed more than $4,000.
In his opposing affidavit, Mpofu said: "There are no documents to show that I own a house in Mahatshula. They cannot revoke the offer after accepting it in the first place."
He further stated that the house was offered to him in 2001 for him to buy and could have vacated it in April 2006 had he finished building his own house.
The ministry had obtained an eviction order on January 9, last year, ordering Mpofu and his family out of the house within two days, with the Messenger of Court being empowered to use minimum force to evict him.
He, however, challenged the eviction hence the case dragged in court.
At some point it is mentioned that Mpofu asked for an extension of about six months before he could be evicted, saying he was still building his own house, despite earlier claims that he had no other house.
The case was supposed to be heard last month at the Civil Court but was struck off the roll as both parties defaulted, thereby leaving the decade year long battle unresolved.
Moses Griffith Mpofu, 60, has been taken to court by the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, which wants to push him out of the house along Eversham Road, Southwold.
Mpofu retired from the police on December 31, 2004 on medical grounds after suffering from dementia cerebrovascular following an accident he was involved in, in 2003, which affected his cognitive function and memory.
According to court documents, Mpofu was at some point admitted to Ingutsheni Central Hospital with a mental disturbance.
The case was started by the then Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities.
While the ministry argued that Mpofu was supposed to have moved out of the house long back because he has another house in Mahatshula, the former police officer has argued that there is no proof that he has such a house.
He said the house was once offered to him to buy and the offer was revoked clandestinely.
The ministry's argument is that government houses are meant for civil servants who are in service and in dire need of accommodation, and Mpofu's continued stay in the house is disadvantaging other civil servants.
The application for eviction was made in January 2012 through the Civil Division of the Attorney General's Office represented by the then Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, David Munyoro.
It is alleged that Mpofu was not paying rentals and when legal proceedings were instituted against him he owed more than $4,000.
In his opposing affidavit, Mpofu said: "There are no documents to show that I own a house in Mahatshula. They cannot revoke the offer after accepting it in the first place."
He further stated that the house was offered to him in 2001 for him to buy and could have vacated it in April 2006 had he finished building his own house.
The ministry had obtained an eviction order on January 9, last year, ordering Mpofu and his family out of the house within two days, with the Messenger of Court being empowered to use minimum force to evict him.
He, however, challenged the eviction hence the case dragged in court.
At some point it is mentioned that Mpofu asked for an extension of about six months before he could be evicted, saying he was still building his own house, despite earlier claims that he had no other house.
The case was supposed to be heard last month at the Civil Court but was struck off the roll as both parties defaulted, thereby leaving the decade year long battle unresolved.
Source - chronicle
