Former director forfeits $2,9 million windfall

By The NewsDay | Jan. 14, 2015 | 2 Min read

A FORMER director at Catercraft, Charles Munzara, yesterday blew up a golden opportunity to have his $2,9 million arbitral award registered as a court order after he absconded the court hearing, forcing its cancellation.

CHARLES LAITON SENIOR COURT REPORTER

Munzara had approached the High Court seeking to have his arbitral award of $2 971 001 registered as a court order to enable him to claim his dues from his former employer.

However, High Court judge Justice November Mtshiya dismissed the application with costs after Munzara failed to turn up for the hearing application and slapped him with costs instead.

In his application, Munzara had claimed that an arbitral award in his favour had been granted on March 22 2004 by arbitrator P Chawira. “I was employed by Catercraft as its managing director from 1999. I was summarily dismissed from my employment and I approached the Ministry of Labour. It (the matter) was heard on March 22 and part of the operative award was that I be reinstated from the date of suspension or alternatively pay me the package entitled to me,” Munzara said in his affidavit.

“Despite repeated demand, the company has neglected to pay me what was due to me, that is salary and benefits, five months’ salary as notice pay, five months’ severance pay, and five months relocation allowance, five months’ pay as service pay for every year of service, fuel allowance at 400 litres per month, motor vehicle, computer and cellphone,” he added.

“After failing to get reinstated I approached honourable arbitrator, Ms P Chawira, to quantify the damages in US dollars and it was done on October 11 2013 and the total value was reached as $2 971 001.”

However, in his opposing affidavit, Catercraft secretary Obert Chigariro said: “Ms P Chiwara did not quantify any award. In the award of October 11 2013, she made it clear that she had no jurisdiction to deal with the matter which was pending at the High Court.”