SIX individuals and a company claiming ownership of Wan Wenjin Jewellers (Pvt) Ltd sold their shareholding to Chinese co-founder Wan Wenjin, court documents and correspondence reveal, adding a new twist to the ongoing dispute over control of the Manicaland-based gold producer.
According to affidavits filed at the High Court, Jianping Hu, another claimant, was never a shareholder of the company.
The dispute over the control of the bullion producer pits Wan Wenjin and Kennedy Sithole against Jonathan Brian Chirawo, David T Muchinguri, Humphrey Tafara Mnangagwa, Chriswell Daitone, Tendai Dzanza, Kakorodzi Enterprises and Jianping Hu, all of whom are contesting control of the firm.
In his supporting affidavit, Wan said he bought out Kakorodzi Enterprises and became the company’s sole shareholder and director.
He further averred that Jianping was never a shareholder or director of Wan Wenjin Jewellers.
Wan said he never sold back any of his shares in the company to Chirawo, Muchinguri, Mnangagwa, Daitone and Dzanza after buying out the quintet.
He said Jianping and his son, Song Zhoulin, never had authority “to represent my interests in the company”.
Wan also told the court that he lawfully appointed Sithole as a director in terms of the company’s Articles of Association, insisting that Sithole’s actions were valid and not fraudulent.
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Court documents show Wan and Sithole scoring victories with High Court judge Justice Pisirayi Kwenda ruling that the application made by Chirawo, Wan Wenjin Jewellers, Jianping, Muchinguri, Mnangagwa, Daitone and Dzanza as “not being urgent, be and is hereby struck off the roll for urgent matters with costs.”
In case No HCH6121/25, the septet had dragged Wan, Sithole, Wan Wenjin Jellewers, the Registrar of Companies and the Deputy Sheriff of the High Court to court.
In another case, HCH5577/25, between Wan Wenjin Jewellers (Pvt) Ltd and Sithole against Kakorodzi Enterprises (Pvt) Ltd, Muchinguri, Mnangagwa, Chirawo, Dzanza, Mhinduro Rushambwa, Daitone and Registrar of Companies, High Court judge Justice Davison Foroma ruled in favour of the applicants.
Justice Foroma ordered that all the changes effected to the shareholding and directorship of the 1st applicant, Wan Wenjin Jewellers (Pvt) Ltd, at the company registry by any of the respondents, including the re-registration and appointment of new directors, be and are hereby suspended pending the prosecution of HCH5538/25.
Justice Foroma prohibited the respondents or any of their associates, from interfering with Wan Wenjin Jewellers’ day-to-day business activities, including but not limited to decision-making, financial transactions, client and stakeholder communication and management of company assets, until the final determination of the summons filed by the applicants under case number HCH5538/25.
Despite the rulings, the dispute remains unresolved.
Lawyers representing the former shareholders, according to Sithole, recently petitioned Mutapa, Investment Fund chief executive John Mangudya to nullify a gold mining deal, which Allied Timbers boss Remigion Nenzou entered into with Sithole, whose legal eligibility to represent the firm they are contesting.
In a letter dated December 15, 2025, the lawyers wrote: “We demand that Mutapa Investment Fund and Allied Timbers immediately interdict the mining agreement dated November 10, 2025; suspend all related operations due to sub-judice and initiate an internal investigation into the conduct of Mr Nenzou.”
Failure to terminate Nenzou’s deal with Sithole, Madondo Legal Practitioners wrote, will compel their clients to institute legal action against the duo.
In a letter to Nenzou dated December 17, 2025, Sithole hit back, labelling the claimant former shareholders wanting to be “allowed back into the company which they rejected”.
“Up to this point, they are yet to cancel the share certificates and the agreement that they had with Mr Wan as indicated in his affidavit above. They remain excluded from the company,” the letter read.
Sithole said they were facing a “barrage of attacks from the former shareholders who were claiming to have miraculously gotten back into the company”.
“These attacks are conveniently coming at the end of the stretch of attacks against the operations on site,” he said.
“When these failed, these former shareholders sought to come back. They effected some changes which have included some people who had already been explicitly identified as not being part of the company.”
In the letter to Nenzou, Sithole also attached documents showing that Muchinguri, Mnangagwa, Chirawo, Dzanza, Rushambwa and Daitone sold their shares to Wan in January last year.
