News / National
Mukupe off the hook as judge dismisses case
28 Feb 2018 at 06:12hrs | Views
THE High Court has dismissed an application filed by six settlers at Caledonia, Harare, seeking to bar Finance deputy minister Terrence Mukupe from claiming ownership of some residential stands in the area.
The application was thrown out with costs by High Court judge Justice Charles Hungwe last Tuesday.
Last month, the six settlers had also appeared at the Harare Magistrates' Court facing charges of threatening to assault the deputy minister over allegations of interfering with their stands.
But, upon entertaining the settler's application in his chambers, Justice Hungwe failed to find merit in the same and dismissed it with costs.
"The matter be and is hereby dismissed with costs," Hungwe ruled.
Prior to the dismissal of the matter, the six applicants, Tawanda Dzamara, Gift Jeche, Rejoice Simango, Claris Makiwa, Brian Madzorere and Mercy Marufu, who are members of Tasanganiswa Housing Cooperative Society, had accused Mukupe of invading and seizing their stands claiming he wanted to build state-of-the art offices for Zanu PF.
In their urgent chamber application which they filed a fortnight ago, the six said they had been left with no option but to approach the court for recourse after the officers at Mabvuku Police Station, were threatened with loss of employment if they attempted to evict the minister.
The settlers had alleged that on February 6 this year, Mukupe and his workers besieged and occupied their co-operative's land with some construction equipment.
They further alleged the deputy minister and his workers immediately laid a concrete slab on one of their stands after which they (invaders) also took over a water well where the settlers used to get their water supply and barred them from accessing it, an assertion Mukupe dismissed as false.
The application was thrown out with costs by High Court judge Justice Charles Hungwe last Tuesday.
Last month, the six settlers had also appeared at the Harare Magistrates' Court facing charges of threatening to assault the deputy minister over allegations of interfering with their stands.
But, upon entertaining the settler's application in his chambers, Justice Hungwe failed to find merit in the same and dismissed it with costs.
"The matter be and is hereby dismissed with costs," Hungwe ruled.
Prior to the dismissal of the matter, the six applicants, Tawanda Dzamara, Gift Jeche, Rejoice Simango, Claris Makiwa, Brian Madzorere and Mercy Marufu, who are members of Tasanganiswa Housing Cooperative Society, had accused Mukupe of invading and seizing their stands claiming he wanted to build state-of-the art offices for Zanu PF.
In their urgent chamber application which they filed a fortnight ago, the six said they had been left with no option but to approach the court for recourse after the officers at Mabvuku Police Station, were threatened with loss of employment if they attempted to evict the minister.
The settlers had alleged that on February 6 this year, Mukupe and his workers besieged and occupied their co-operative's land with some construction equipment.
They further alleged the deputy minister and his workers immediately laid a concrete slab on one of their stands after which they (invaders) also took over a water well where the settlers used to get their water supply and barred them from accessing it, an assertion Mukupe dismissed as false.
Source - newsday
