By Daniel Nemukuyu
Zimbabwe People First (ZPF) top official Mr Didymus Mutasa has been dragged to court over an unpaid $69 000 electricity bill.
The latest lawsuit was filed barely a week after the High Court allowed the Sheriff to auction the politician’s household property to recover legal fees he owes to a law firm that previously represented him.
Overall, Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) is claiming $69 043 plus interest.
It is also seeking an order for costs.
According to the plaintiff’s declaration, Mr Mutasa entered a contract with the power company for the supply of electricity at his Headlands farm.
He also had six other accounts with the power utility.
But Mr Mutasa defaulted, resulting in Zesa instituting legal proceedings.
“The defendant is indebted to the plaintiff as at 13th April, 2018, in the sum of $69 043 being charges in respect of power supplied by the plaintiff to the defendant at the latter’s special request and instance in terms of the running electricity supply contract. . .” reads the declaration.
Woes continue to mount for Mr Mutasa after his vehicles and household property were attached over an outstanding $26 900 legal bill owed to Nyakutombwa Mugabe Legal Counsel.
The fees accrued when the politician engaged the lawyers to fight his legal battles against Zanu-PF after he was expelled in 2015.
After failing to pay his legal bills, his lawyers sued him.
A default judgment issued by the High Court resulted in the property being attached by the Sheriff.
However, in a bid to stop execution, Mr Mutasa and his wife Getrude filed an application for rescission of the judgment.
Mrs Mutasa argued that some of the property belonged to her and that it was not fair to allow the Sheriff to auction it.
Mr Mutasa, on the other hand, argued that he had not been served with the court papers when the default judgment was granted.
However, Justice Amy Tsanga last week dismissed the couple’s application for lack of merit.
As a result, the law firm has initiated the process of selling the property to recover the debt.
The property was attached from Mr Mutasa’s Umwinsdale house and moved to LM Auctions yard in Southerton, Harare.
The property includes three sets of leather sofas, dining table and eight chairs, two fridges, a coffee table and stools, two water tanks, a microwave, carpets, television stands, Kipor generator, DStv decoder, DVD player and two flower pots.
Mr Mutasa, who is a former Zanu-PF secretary for administration, was expelled from the ruling party in 2015 together with Mr Rugare Gumbo and Mr Temba Mliswa for allegedly trying to topple President Mugabe.
The trio engaged the services of Nyakutombwa Mugabe Legal Counsel to fight the expulsion.
After filing several applications, they later chickened out and dropped the challenge. The Herald
