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Lethokuhle Moyo Court Reporter
A BULAWAYO man has been sued by his business partner after he overfed their chicks while drunk, leading to their death. Terry Gumbi, of New Magwegwe, was on Tuesday dragged to court by Simari Nhare over $240-worth of chicks that he fed to death. The duo started their chicken business last year in November. A chicken farmer’s cardinal rule is to watch what his chicks feed on, and how much food they are provided. Too much food and the chicks will eat themselves to death or suffer serious health problems.

It could not be established how many chicks died from Gumbi’s actions.

Gumbi admitted that he fed the chicks under the influence of alcohol and pleaded with magistrate Victor Mpofu to give him time to compensate his partner.

A private agreement the two had decreed that Gumbi would restitute Nhare in three instalments of $80 in December and January.

After failing to pay a single cent, he begged the court to allow him to pay $10 monthly instalments.

“I admit that I owe him $240 because my friend used his money to start the business. I asked him to let me pay at least $10 per month because I’m unemployed and I can’t repay him the whole amount at once but he refused,” Gumbi said.

He added that he had signed an affidavit stating that he was going to repay the money in two months but could not meet his promise.

Magistrate Mpofu told him that he should beg Nhare to extend the terms and ordered him to pay the entire amount by the end of April.

“Beg him in the name of Jesus to extend the months for you because I’m not the owner of the money. Imagine if it was you in that situation and things go like that what were you going to say, because he had given you a period of three months to pay?” asked the magistrate.

Mpofu told Gumbi that he was being considerate by giving him a month to repay the whole amount adding that he should have ordered him to repay it back by end of March.

Nhare refused to extend the repayment period.

He said he could not trust Gumbi because he failed to meet his initial promises.

“I want my money in one payment because he has been telling me stories until I sued him. He even signed an affidavit and made a payment plan but up until today he still hasn’t paid anything,” he said.