Leonard Ncube Senior Court Reporter
IT is a case of riches to rags for a Victoria Falls businessman Tapiwa Chiyadzwa, 39, who has been evicted from his rented house for failing to pay rent.
According to court documents, Chiyadzwa, a manager at Victoria Falls Gallery, owes his landlord, Hetnesh Suman Patel, about $9,000 in rentals and rates for house number 338 Woods Road in Victoria Falls.

Chiyadzwa moved into the house in the leafy suburb in July 2012 and Patel, through his lawyer Modicai Donga from Lazarus and Sarif, said he failed to pay monthly rentals of $450 prompting him to seek an eviction order.

It never rains but pours for Chiyadzwa, who besides being evicted from the house, has been arrested for unlawful entry after he broke into a shop he had been evicted from, also for not paying rent.

In his claim, Patel said he entered into a verbal lease agreement with Chiyadzwa who agreed to pay $450 per month and also pay all other rates.
It is said Chiyadzwa would default paying for some of the months resulting in the arrears accumulating. Patel gave him a notice to vacate after he violated terms of the lease agreement.

In 2012, the court heard, Patel demanded payment of the arrears but Chiyadzwa responded by paying a monthly rental ignoring the arrears, which had accumulated to $9,138 inclusive of rates.

He has up to the end of the month to vacate the premises but not before settling arrears of $8,208.91 plus $5,500 cost of suit, on April 29.

In the event of Chiyadzwa failing to vacate the house by the end of the month, the Messenger of Court would immediately evict him and his family and all those claiming occupation through him.

The court also ruled that Chiyadzwa’s property that includes an Isuzu truck and household goods will be attached if he fails to pay the outstanding amount.
On the unlawful entry charge, it is alleged that Chiyadzwa was on March 21 this year ordered by the High Court to vacate office 31 at Landela Complex along Livingstone Way which he was renting. He, however, on March 26 jumped over a pre-cast wall and broke into the premises to gain access to the shop.

He allegedly used a screw driver to break a key blocker and entered his former shop and started running his business as if nothing had happened. A report was made to the police leading to Chiyadzwa’s arrest.

Victoria Falls resident magistrate Sharon Rosemani remanded him to Friday on $100 bail.

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