HARARE – The High Court of Zimbabwe has granted ZIMASCO (Pvt) Ltd, a prominent ferrochrome producer, an interdict barring lawyer Wilson Manase from presenting himself as the company’s corporate rescue practitioner.
The ruling, delivered by Justice Faith Mushure, follows an application by ZIMASCO (Pvt) Ltd.
According to ZIMASCO management, the company was surprised by attempts by Manase to assume the role of corporate rescue practitioner based on a court order obtained against SINOSTEEL ZIMASCO (Pvt) Ltd.
ZIMASCO maintains that it has no connection or relationship with Sinosteel ZIMASCO (Pvt) Ltd.
Sources within ZIMASCO (Pvt) Ltd have stated that the company is not facing financial difficulties and that Avim Investments (Pvt) Ltd is not one of its creditors.
The documents used by Avim Investments (Pvt) Ltd, a company linked to Shepherd Tundiya, to secure a court order against Sinosteel ZIMASCO (Pvt) Ltd are asserted to have no relevance to ZIMASCO.
The High Court’s interdict is a temporary measure pending a return day. The court is set to hear ZIMASCO’s application for a formal declaration stating that it is not ZIMASCO SINOSTEEL (Pvt) Ltd.
ZIMASCO will also seek the rescission of the initial court order, arguing that it was never served on them and that they possess a viable defense against it.
ZIMASCO, last week, filed a formal complaint with the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) against High Court Justice Joel Mambara, alleging “judicial impropriety” and accusing him of complicity in a “fraudulent scheme.”
The complaint, detailed in a letter from ZIMASCO CEO John Musekiwa, centred around a corporate rescue application filed by Avim Investments (Private) Limited against SINOSTEEL ZIMASCO (Private) Limited, a separate entity according to ZIMASCO.
ZIMASCO claimed Justice Mambara granted a corporate rescue order targeting their assets on March 12, 2025, despite the application not being served on them.
ZIMASCO further alleged that a subsequent chamber application by Avim Investments to correct the order and include ZIMASCO (Pvt) Ltd was also not served on them, despite court rules requiring such service.
The company asserted that the second application was urgently referred to and granted by Justice Mambara within three hours of filing, at the insistence of Avim’s legal team.
ZIMASCO further argued that these actions represented procedural irregularities, as the initial order lacked a prior debt payment order and the correction application improperly sought to add a new party without proper citation and service.
Based on these events, ZIMASCO argued that Justice Mambara’s actions were “wilful,” suggesting his “active participation” in a fraudulent scheme by Avim Investments and its lawyers to unlawfully seize control of ZIMASCO’s assets.
The company further questioned the case allocation process and the speed with which the orders were granted, asserting that Justice Mambara’s involvement pointed to his complicity in the alleged fraud.
