Hazvinei Sakarombe Sue Landlady over rentals

Popular radio and television presenter, Hazvinei Sakarombe is going through hard times and is struggling to pay her monthly rentals. Hazvinei recently applied for a peace order against her landlady, Hazvinei Guguta, and Lloyd Bahera, who is a security officer at the premises where she is a tenant. She was accusing them of harassment and disturbing her peace.

“They are trying to intimidate me and other tenants. Guguta wants me to vacate her premises, without giving me a notice. She must give me three months’ notice. It’s not like I don’t want to leave her house, but I would prefer that we do the whole process in a legal way because I don’t appreciate the way she is handling the matter,” Sakarombe said.

However, Guguta told the magistrate that Sakarombe was trying to use the peace order as a tactic to avoid paying rent. The landlady also told the court that she had an agreement with Sakarombe where she indicated that she (Sakarombe) would pay her rent on September 6, but the radio presenter had failed to meet her own deadline.

“She has been owing me two months’ rent. We both agreed that she will pay on the 6th of September but she avoided me. I arranged for us to meet but she never showed up. I even tried calling her, but she did not pick my calls. I am running a business, not a charity home, for her to stay without payment,” said Guguta.

Harare magistrate, Tamara Chibindi, dismissed both Sakarombe's applications for lack of merit. In her ruling, magistrate Chibindi said Sakarombe failed to convince her that she was being harassed or intimated by both respondents.