Harare couple in court over tuckshop wrangle

A COUPLE from Hatfield, Harare, had a verbal showdown in the civil court yesterday over ownership of a tuckshop.

Joanna Gasa claimed that she was the owner of the tuckshop and was seeking to bar her husband Calista Mushipe from running the business.

Gasa accused Mushipe of misusing funds from the business venture.

She told magistrate Tamara Chibende: "I am the owner of the tuckshop, but he recently started insulting me and our customers. He forces me to close the tuckshop because he wants to give the money to his several prostitutes."

Mushipe also said he was the rightful owner of the tuckshop.

He accused his wife of forcefully taking profits and using them for selfish ends.

"I am the one who owns the tuckshop. Our son is the one who sells things in the tuckshop.  She goes to him to demand the profits and hides the money from me," he said.

Chibende then asked the husband to explain why he was finding it difficult to let his wife run business.

"I don't trust her ever since she started taking away the money," he responded.

The court ruled in favour of the wife and ordered the husband to stop disturbing her from running the business.