Triangle United Football Club president booted out of house

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TRIANGLE United Football club president Gwendoline Feresu was last week ordered to vacate a company house within seven days by a Chiredzi magistrate.

TRIANGLE United Football club president Gwendoline Feresu was last week ordered to vacate a company house within seven days by a Chiredzi magistrate.

BY PATRICK CHITONGO

Feresu was dragged to court by Triangle Limited, owners of Triangle United Football Club. The club was promoted to the top flight league after winning the Eastern Region Division One championship under the leadership of Feresu, the first woman president of the team.

The team, which played in the lower league since 1973, finally got into the top flight soccer under the madam chair.

On July 19 2013, Feresu was brought before the company’s disciplinary committee where she was found guilty of breaking company procurement procedures.

After she was found guilty of the offences, she was immediately fired from her position as the company’s Community Development Manager, the arm which runs Triangle FC.

On September 30, Feresu was given a 30-day notice to vacate the company house but failed to do so. The company then applied for an eviction order against her, but she opposed the application.

Her lawyer, Charles Vhudzi of Chuma and Gurajena Legal Practitioners argued that Feresu appealed against her dismissal by the company and was therefore entitled to stay at the house until the finalisation of the labour dispute.

However Triangle Limited noted that Feresu’s defence was invalid since she did not appeal to the Labour Court but to the company.

The company through its lawyer, Evans Moyo of Scanlen and Holderness argued that according to Section 19 (e) of the Labour Act, an employee dismissed regardless of an appeal made, remained dismissed and would lose all the benefits.

After Thursday’s ruling, Feresu will not enjoy the benefits of a 12 roomed house in the leafy low density area, the services of a company paid groundsman, car, medical aid and many others things that the company had been providing her.

Magistrate Chibanda, after going through submissions made by both parties’ legal practitioners ordered that Feresu must vacate the house within seven days as she was given a 30-day notice in accordance with Labour Act. She was also ordered to pay costs of suit.