Cephas Msipa Jnr

Futsal

Cephas Msipa Jnr was one of the few individuals that were at the forefront in the promotion of five-a-side football in Zimbabwe together with Eddie Nyatanga, Joel Biggie Matiza and Steve “MP” Nyoka in the mid-1990s.

Matiza and Msipa Junior played a major role in fund-raising for Zimbabwe’s participation at the 1996 Africa Futsal Championships in Cairo, Egypt. The tournament was a qualifier for the FIFA Futsal World Cup that was staged in Spain in that same year.

Zimbabwe came third to walk away with a bronze medal at the African tournament although they missed qualification to the global showpiece. Speaking on the formation of the league, Msipa Jnr said:

"I worked with JB Matiza extensively when we co-founded what was known as Five-a-side Soccer League and we actually put together a team that went to Egypt and won a bronze medal in a World Cup qualifier in September 1996. “JB Matiza was instrumental in putting together the funding for that trip and really worked hard to uplift the youths and the whole idea of five-a-side football, we were trying to uplift the youth in Mbare and other high-density suburbs. JB Matiza was the sponsor of one of the teams, which was known as JB Five in the league . . . He went on to become a Member of Parliament in pursuit of the upliftment agenda."

Cephas Msipa Junior was involved with BMC Bombers.^[3]

Court Cases

US$ 1,4 million debt

In 2019, Cephas Msipa Jnr was taken to court by a Zimbabwean mining services company, N.R Barber (Private) Ltd after he failed to settle a US$ 1,4 million debt.

The company approached the High Court demanding the money from Msipa Jnr’s company, Coal Producers and Processors Trust of Zimbabwe commonly known as Kondo mine.

N.R Barber rendered mining services to Msipa’s company in Hwange in 2015. When he was approached by N.R Barber demanding payment, Msipa on several occasions would promise to settle the debt.

Msipa also told the plaintiff that he was owed some money by Zambezi Gas Zimbabwe Private Limited and that he will pay upon receiving what he was owed.^[4]

Crowhill Farm

Cephas Msipa Jnr and his colleagues had attempted to defraud Crowhill Farm (Pvt) Ltd of the land in Borrowdale by selling it and giving parts of it away to various third parties.

Msipa Jnr was reported to the police by Ozias Bvute for alleged fraud. Bvute said Msipa Jnr acted fraudulently by subdividing the Crowhill Farm and disposing of stands without his knowledge through various estate agents including Africa Real Estate and Darwin Properties.

In January 2015, Msipa Jnr was taken to court by Bvute who in his High Court application said Msipa has never been part of Crowhill Farm (Pvt) Ltd. Msipa Junior allegedly became involved with the company after he approached Bvute claiming that he could subdivide the farm as he had done at his Charlotte Brook Development.

Msipa subdivided some of the land and remitted 300 stands to Bvute’s company under the pretext that they were the only stands that had been subdivided. A site visit showed that Msipa had actually subdivided 4,000 stands.

Upon receiving title deeds to facilitate the subdivision of the farm, it is alleged that Msipa handed over the title deeds to his sister-in-law’s law firm, BM Msipa and Associates. Msipa Jnr allegedly gave stands to several politicians, allegedly to buy favours.

To facilitate the alleged theft of the property, Msipa is said to have clandestinely registered a company called Crowhill (Pvt) Ltd as a subsidiary of Bvute’s Crowhill Farm (Pvt) Ltd.

A letter dated June 1, 2008, written by a Gilbert Chawada effected the registration of the purported subsidiary. Bvute said his company did not authorise the registration of the subsidiary but that Msipa and his cohorts registered the company as a vehicle to be used in their fraudulent activities. He said there is no connection between his Crowhill Farm (Pvt) Ltd and Msipa’s Crowhill (Pvt) Ltd.

Bvute bought the farm from the Woodhouse family. The Woodhouse family is the original owner of Crowhill Farm (Pvt) Ltd which was registered with the Registrar of Companies in 1972.^[5]

In January 2017, the High Court confirmed Bvute as the rightful owner of the land.

Florence Pambukani was taken to court by Crowhill after she invaded the land claiming that she had been given the land by Cephas Msipa Jnr and produced copies of certified copies of certificates of registered title of the land that she despoiled.

Crowhill Farm said it withdrew its initial application under HC8077/17 for the eviction of Mrs Pambukani, which had been set down on September 6 2017 before Justice Foroma after the parties had agreed that it was unnecessary to argue the matter on merits because Msipa Jnr had undertaken to give her land on his own development in Crowhill Estate so that she vacates the company’s property.

Msipa Junior had not given Pambukani the land. Crowhill Farm took Pambukani to court after she invaded its land.^[6]

References