KWEKWE City Council’s financial woes continue to mount, with former workers at its subsidiary, Kwekwe Breweries, taking the local authority to court over unpaid dues.
BY BLESSED MHLANGA
Kwekwe Breweries, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kwekwe City Council, recently closed shop, forcing all its workers home, including general manager Energy Choreva.
Choreva has since approached the Labour Court demanding close to $20 000 in outstanding salaries, leave days and other benefits.
Through his lawyer, Liberty Mashanyare, Choreva claimed he was unfairly dismissed, following termination of his contract a month ago.
“Our client advises us that he has visited your offices for clarification and his transfer, if any, but you could not shed light . . . as instructed we, therefore, demand a clarification from your office on the current status of his employment and all his outstanding salaries,” Choreva’s lawyer wrote.
The matter is now set to be heard at the Kwekwe labour relations offices on October 26, for a conciliatory hearing before an arbitrator identified as C M Kurehwa.
Three other workers — Audrey Bepu, Abednigo Banda and Cosmas Guchu, through their lawyers, Mawadze and Mujaya, have also dragged council to the same court after being fired from the opaque beer brewery.
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The trio is demanding a total of $11 000 in outstanding salaries.
The council, which only managed to collect $7 million from its $17m revenue budget, recently lost a court battle on a $12m power debt to Zesa.
It is also battling with a $2m debt to the Zimbabwe National Water Authority and faces a garnishee order from the National Social Security Authority for failing to remit its statutory obligations.
