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Destiny for Afrika Network in turmoil

22 Oct, 2021 - 00:10 0 Views
Destiny for Afrika Network in turmoil Obedia Musindo

The ManicaPost

Cletus Mushanawani
News Editor

THOUSANDS of residents who invested millions of dollars into Destiny for Afrika Network National Housing Projects Development Trust risk losing their investments as the battle to control the Trust turns nasty.

The matter has since spilled into the courts of law, The Manica Post can reveal.

Bloody clashes were witnessed recently as members fought over the control of the Mutare office and finances.

Accusations and counter-accusations are flying left, right and centre, putting desperate home-seekers’ investments into jeopardy.

Destiny for Afrika Network National Housing Projects Development Trust is spearheading housing projects in Mutare and other cities countrywide.

A red flag has been raised over alleged abuse of funds, resulting in the organisation’s founder and president, Reverend Obedia Msindo, calling for an audit of the Mutare Office’s finances; a move which some trustees view as a ploy by the reverend to lay his hands on the finances.

Some of the trustees are reported to be living large, and have acquired a number of properties and assets in the city, and are continuously hanging onto their posts despite either the expiry of their terms or suspensions.

However, this has been shot down by those fingered in the scam.

They insist that their terms of offices were extended by Rev Msindo, and are also challenging his powers to suspend them, arguing that they stand on an equal footing as trustees.

Police had to be summoned to quell disturbances at the Trust’s Fifth Street offices as the feuding parties clashed.

Local trustees led by Messrs Wilson Masokovere and Temba Sauramba allegedly hired thugs to bar a team from Harare from looking into the Trust’s finances, resulting in some of them being injured and losing valuables.

The injured had to seek treatment at Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital, while they also pressed assault and theft charges against their assailants.

Messrs Masokovere and Sauramba vehemently denied mobilising people to attack the Harare team that was led by another trustee, Mr Gerald Mabika, and instead accused Rev Msindo of inviting people to gather at the Mutare offices for a verification exercise.

Mr Masokovere stated that he was out of town, while Mr Sauramba said he was at home when violence broke out.

As the drama continues unfolding, Rev Msindo, through Mr Mabika, applied for a spoliation and ancillary relief order against Messrs Masokovere and Sauramba.

In the application, Mr Mabika argued that the court should order Messrs Masokovere and Sauramba, their agents, employees or assignees to restore peaceful and undisturbed possession of the Mutare offices.

He urged that the respondents be ordered to ensure that public order was maintained at the offices, while they also pay for the costs of the suit. Mr Mabika is represented by Mr Passmore Nyakureba of Maunga Maanda and Associates, while Messrs Masokovere and Sauramba are represented by Mr Chris Ndlovu of Gonese and Ndlovu Legal Practitioners.

The matter appeared in court yesterday (Thursday).

In his affidavit, Mr Mabika stated: “On October 6, agents of the Trust from Harare, including myself, went to the Mutare office to discharge our duties and assignments. We entered into the offices and worked in a peaceful manner without any disturbances.

“On October 7, the same employees went back to the offices to continue with the unfinished tasks, and it was upon our arrival that we were met with a huge crowd outside the premises, including Messrs Masokovere and Sauramba. The crowd was also accompanied by security guards from Boltspeed Security in which Messrs Masokovere and Sauramba are the only directors.

“The crowd attacked us with assorted weapons, and heavily assaulted part of the group, severely injuring some. Some, including me,managed to escape. Those who escaped went to Mutare Central Police Station where the escort of police officers was sought to neutralise the situation by maintaining law and order. Messrs Masokovere and Sauramba, together with their agents, continued assaulting us even in the presence of police officers.”

However, in response, Mr Masokovere argued that Mr Mabika had no legal right to represent Destiny for Afrika Network National Housing Projects Development Trust. “What the applicant has attached is simply a letter by one Obedia Msindo purporting to give him authority to represent him (Obedia Musindo). Acting alone, Obedia Msindo has no authority to represent, and bind the other trustees. Nowhere in the papers before the court has it been suggested that the other trustees agree with Obedia Musindo over his choice of the deponent, or for that matter over his decision to litigate against us. A simple letter is not enough. It has to be a resolution of the trustees themselves acting collectively and not individually,” argued Mr Masokovere.

He admitted that their term of trustees was supposed to expire on March 20, 2021.

“It is true that at its formation and registration, the Trust had six trustees. It is true that the terms of office of the trustees were to expire on March 20, 2021. However, our terms of office were extended for a further period of four years by express and tacit conduct of the Trust itself and ourselves. Obedia Msindo specifically wrote a letter indicating that our tenure as trustees was to be extended, and from March to this date we have continued to conduct and carry out the functions of the Trust as trustees with no objections from anybody, Obedia Msindo included,” said Mr Masokovere.

He added: “Before the Trust was established, we were operating our affairs as a universitas, and our operations began in 2006 in Mutare where we were doing housing projects. It is not correct, therefore, to give an impression that our operations began after registration of the Trust in 2017. Long before the establishment of the Trust, we had begun our operations in Mutare, and I was the driving force and the chief operations officer for projects in Mutare. It is, therefore, incorrect to suggest that I was hired as a non-executive employee of the Trust. I am the face of the Trust in Manicaland. That is why I am head of its operations at the Mutare office.”

On the gathering of people and violence reported at the Mutare office, Mr Masokovere, said: “I can confirm that there were disturbances between the people who had been invited to the offices, and the team from Harare. Since I was not present, I can neither confirm nor deny that some people were assaulted. I, however, deny that I assaulted anybody because I was not even there.

“I have no knowledge of the report that was made to the police, neither am I privy to the information relating to the arrests made by the police. I can, however, confirm as a fact that I was never arrested by the police for the disturbances that occurred that day because I was not there. It is not true that we invited anyone to our offices. On the contrary, it was Obedia Msindo who sent out messages to our members inviting them to the office. It is, therefore, not true that we tried to block the team from Harare from doing its duties. We have nothing to hide. We have not stolen any money from our members or from the organisation.”

 

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