Energy specialist sues AFM

By Mathew Masinge

The Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) is again back in court facing a US$120 000 counter lawsuit from an energy specialist who is accusing the church of loss of revenue.

Dutch Lungu, a biogas consultant, accused the church for causing him to lose a one-year contract with Biogas Taskforce Zimbabwe, in which he expected to earn US$10 000 per month.

According to his papers, Lungu is seeking an order restraining AFM from “instituting any action, application, suit or proceedings in connection with the matter in question.”

The background of the matter reads that AFM on March 26 this year had instituted proceedings against the businessman accusing him of refusing to deliver a stand he had sold to the church in Epworth.

However, Lungu argued that he was not served papers on time forcing him to travel from his base in South Africa hours before the hearing without notifying his employer who later terminated his contract for the conduct.

A default judgment was handed to AFM in Lungu’s default.

“Further, AFM did not serve the application and lied before the court that the application had duly been served, thus misleading the court to give the plaintiff a default judgment on May 8 2019.

“I was based in South Africa where I have been commissioned on a twelve-month contract as a renewable Energy Specialist Consultant of Biogas Taskforce Zimbabwe, a department of the Office of the State Research Scientist.

“I had to travel from South Africa to Harare to respond to AFM’s application only to find that a default judgment had been granted,” said Lungu.

Lungu acknowledges having sold the stand and says he owes rates to local authorities but insists the AFM application was defective, and the order sought was incompetent. H-Metro