More than 40 workers at former Local Government minister Saviour Kasukuwere’s now-defunct tour operator and travel agency, United Touring Company (UTC), have appealed for government intervention to help them recover their unpaid salaries and terminal benefits.
BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI
The workers claimed that they were owed $341 281,94 in outstanding salaries and terminal benefits following the closure of the firm eight years ago.
Kasukuwere and former Labour minister Nicholas Goche were the major shareholders in the firm. In 2016, UTC assets were placed under the hammer following a High Court ruling, but the 41 former workers, who had taken legal action against the firm are yet to get their dues following the sale.
In an interview, the former workers’ representative, Danisa Tshuma revealed that a liquidator was appointed to account for the money after property was sold, but they are yet to be paid.
“We have not received anything since then. After the court order, they wrote a letter of liquidation ordering us to stop the attachment which, was against the court order. We did nothing because they were ministers and in the process, most workers suffered a lot and some have even died after such enslavement. They appointed Cyril Madondo liquidating agent and we all agreed that we will be paid after everything has been sold, and that was a fuel service station, a depot and a house in Victoria Falls.
“The attached properties were sold in 2016, but when we tried to get our monies we were told that the money belonged to United Touring Group (UTG) which was a trust and we were supposed to claim our money from UTC. It’s causing emotional distress because we have been hiring lawyers and now we have no representatives and the money was allegedly shared among the ministers and their shareholders .”
Tshuma accused Madondo of being evasive over the issue each time they tried to engage him. Efforts to contact Madondo were fruitless yesterday with his aide, Paidamoyo Nyabadza, saying he would only be reachable midweek.
