True Worshipers Centre pastor, Matthews Kazadi, is embroiled in a dispute with an Angolan diplomat, Benjamin Nsingi, over the non-payment of sofas worth $1 300 which the pastor bought from him last year.
The dispute spilled into the courts and Nsingi, the former chief of protocol at the Angolan Embassy, won the case after a default judgement was entered against the pastor.
Harare magistrate Renika Dzikiti granted the default judgement in the sum of $1 300 on July 13 after Kazadi failed to attend court.
According to court papers, the diplomat sold a set of sofas to the pastor last year in September after accomplishing his diplomatic mission in Zimbabwe. Kazadi, who is a Democratic Republic of Congo national, agreed to purchase the sofas for $1 500 and paid an initial deposit of $200.
For the past seven months, the diplomat is said to have approached the pastor for the balance, but the man of God is alleged to have been reluctant to settle the debt, prompting Nsingi to approach the courts for recourse.
In his founding affidavit, Nsingi said he had been at Kazadi’s place of residence in Marlborough several times in an effort to either collect the balance of his payment or recover the property, but the pastor was allegedly unco-operative. In his opposing affidavit, Kazadi admitted owing the pastor, but said the figure was actually $1 240.
He said he had offered to pay it in instalments, an arrangement the diplomat reportedly turned down, demanding the full balance at once.
But it was Kazadi’s failure to attend court hearing which prompted the magistrate to enter judgement against him in the sum of $1 300.
