Police ordered to vacate Globetrotter….. VP Mphoko meddling in family dispute

The High Court has ordered the police to vacate popular entertainment joint Globetrotter located on the outskirts of Harare, following a wrangle over the control of the hangout that broke out on Monday.

All the tenants that had been illegally evicted by police last Monday have been reinstated, thanks to High Court judge Amy Tsanga’s order on Wednesday.

“That pending the return of this matter the respondents and all those acting through them be and are hereby ordered to restore vacant possession of the premises occupied by the first, second, and third applicants at Plot 1 Goodhope, Old Mazowe Road and return all the goods removed from said premises into the state they were on October 2017 forthwith,” Tsanga ruled.

It is now business as usual at the joint, which belongs to the late businessman Dickson Sabawu, situated along Old Mazowe Road.

Of late, Sabawu’s family, first wife Gladys Mandhlamakulu and children from second marriage have been fighting over the control of the joint.

Mandhlamakulu, who had reportedly been divorced and only came back at the insistence of her children after the late Sabawu had been imprisoned for fatally shooting Charity Sabawu nee Mukarati (second wife) in September 2008, wants full ownership and control of the estate of the late businessman.

In her bid to stop the children of the second wife from benefitting from the estate, Mandhlamakulu sought the intervention of Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko.

A letter seen by the Daily News, written by Mandhlamakulu, and which was addressed to a tenant at Globetrotter, confirms Mphoko’s involvement.

“Subsequent to the meeting held at the Vice President Mphoko’s offices on Wednesday 12 July 2017, wherein you and my eldest son were present, you were duly instructed to vacate the Estate of the late D K Sabawu on the same day.

“You are being reminded to vacate the said premises with immediate effect and upon receipt of this letter. Please remove without delay, all your belongings and all persons you have illegally brought onto the Estate,” reads part of the letter.

Minister of State in Mphoko’s office Tabetha Kanengoni-Malinga confirmed that the vice president met Mandhlamakulu and sons of the late Sabawu.

“The matter came into his (Mphoko) office and it was referred to the relevant authorities — the police — to handle it,” Kanengoni-Malinga said.

As a result, on Monday scores of police officers invaded Globetrotter and forcibly evicted tenants as well as children from Sabawu’s second marriage.

In the process, the police beat up patrons and passers-by.

The Daily News crew witnessed police officers armed with batons beating a group of passers-by.

Another group of police officers blocked the entrance into the complex while another group hunted for revellers who had gone into hiding.

Meanwhile, another group of police officers was busy throwing goods out of the complex.

Even refrigerators containing meat and beer bottles were also thrown out.

When the Daily News contacted one of the late Sabau’s sons, Ngoni, he referred the paper to his lawyer Thomas Nyakunika of Mupindu Legal Practitioners.

Nyakunika said the violent police raid was part of the fight for the control of the late Sabau’s estate.

“It has been an ongoing wrangle of the family of the late Dickson Sabau. The execution of the estate is still to be finalised but shockingly the first wife influenced high offices to push Sabau’s children from second marriage (Ngoni and Farai) out of the estate.

“We are glad that the court has restored order. The police had left the premises and my clients have already returned their belongings into the premises. So did the other children Ngoni and Farai Sabawu who had also been illegally evicted,” Nyakunika said.  Daily News