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Patrick Chitumba Midlands Bureau Chief
ZVISHAVANE town council’s decision to engage a law firm to collect debts on its behalf has resulted in a loss as the lawyers were paid more than they allegedly collected. The cash strapped council engaged Gweru-based law firm Chitere and Chidawanyika Legal Practitioners at the beginning of the year to collect money owed to it by residents and other entities.The town council is owed over $14 million by mines and residents and had engaged the law firm in a bid to recover the money.

Zvishavane has over 43,000 residents. Acting town secretary Mr Nhlanhla Ngwenya said they paid $20,000 in cash to the law firm after it threatened to attach three twin cab Toyota Hilux council vehicles.

He said the law firm also pocketed monies collected from debtors to cover costs for its work, but he could not state the amount.

“We engaged a law firm from Gweru to do debt collection services since we are owed a lot of money by residents and companies. After collecting the money on our behalf, they raised a bill for the services and took the money they had collected to settle that bill,” Mr Ngwenya said.

“As if that was not enough, the law firm indicated that the money they had collected from residents was not enough and went on to attach three of our vehicles. So we ended up paying $20,000 cash on top of the amount they had collected and cleared the bill.”

Mr Ngwenya said council was now in a worse off position than they were before engaging Chitere and Chidawanyika legal practitioners.

“The money they collected from residents, they didn’t give us a cent and we paid them more to save our vehicles yet they were supposed to protect us,” he said.

Mr Reginald Chidawanyika, a senior partner at the law firm, said they rendered a service to the council and expected to be paid.

“Yes, we represented the council to recover their money. We then billed them and we got a judgment to attach three vehicles to recover our money,” he said.