FINANCIALLY troubled National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) has approached the courts seeking an order to evict 21 pensioners from the ailing parastatal’s properties in Rutenga.
The 21 are former employees who retired from service years back and most of them have stayed almost all their lives at the houses in dispute.
Through their lawyers Chihambakwe, Makonese and Ncube legal practitioners, the pensioners said they will only vacate the houses after the company had paid them their terminal benefits which have been outstanding for many years now.
The parastatal is also demanding rental arrears from the pensioners.
The pensioners in turn are disputing the claims saying there was an agreement between the two parties where the pensioners would only vacate the premises if the parastatal awarded them their full terminal benefits.
They also argue that they have not been paying their rentals as they are not receiving their benefits from the parastatal.
Recently the parastatal’s employees downed tools in protest against non-payment of their wages for a period of nine months with the company officials insisting that NRZ was broke.Advertisement