By Mary Taruvinga

SOME 23 police officers have taken Police Commissioner General, Godwin Matanga to the High Court after they failed to secure houses they fully paid for through contributions under the police’s CABS housing scheme.

Nicholas Charumangwe and 22 other police officers said they paid the required money in full, but are yet to be allocated houses as agreed in the contracts entered into with the police commissioner general.

The contract was entered into in 2012 and the police officers have been paying monthly instalments since.

Augustine Chihuri was the police commissioner general then before his removal in 2017 and is now in self-imposed exile in Malawi.

“On February 17 2012 the plaintiffs and the Police Commissioner General entered into a contract under the name ZRP Hatcliffe Housing Scheme, where the plaintiffs as the beneficiaries were supposed to receive built houses from the defendant,” reads part of the summons.

In their application before the High Court, the aggrieved police officers claim the financial institution, CABS was supposed to construct houses for the 23 beneficiaries after deposits had been paid into the ZRP CABS account.

Court papers show that the group had an undertaking to pay a total cost of $17 632.98, a deposit of $4 473 and monthly instalments of $202 for 10 years.

The agreement also stipulated that police officers could pay deposits in excess of the minimum stipulated amount.

It is their claim that they paid the required amounts in full, but they are yet to be allocated the houses in breach of the contract.

The police officers are demanding that Matanga allocates them the houses or serviced housing stands.

The police commissioner general is yet to submit his response for the case to be heard.