Ginimbi's Gas Company Ceases Operation
Innocent Selatlhwa | Monday January 18, 2021 17:15
Botswana Energy Regulatory Authority (BERA) has since compelled the company to cease operating and exchange cylinders for the ones that can be filled by other operators. BERA on Friday informed the public that “Quick Gases (Pty)Ltd has ceased trading in Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) pending the outcome of court processes relating to a matter of the deceased's estate.
The Regulator therefore advises members of the public who currently hold empty cylinders belonging to Quick Gases to exchange them at the Quick Gases facility in Pilane.” BERA spokesperson, Tshepang Monare told The Monitor they had been getting reports from members of the public who were struggling to refill their cylinders. “Upon queries from members of the public we got in touch with the company to establish what was going on. We learnt that due to the court case they were struggling to operate as their bank accounts have been frozen. We had to step in and make sure they assist customers while awaiting a permanent solution,” he said.
The court battle has pitted strength against the Executor of the Estate of Ginimbi Patricia Darangwa and Kadungure’s family against Leo Chiweshe, whom Kadungure had appointed to manage the Botswana assets through a power of attorney. Darangwa was appointed the Administrator of the Estate of Kadungure following his untimely death last November. The deceased’s companies in question are Quick Gasses (Pty) Ltd and Matiflex Oils (Pty) Ltd. On the other hand, Chiweshe is refusing to meet Kadungure’s family and the Executor to hand over control of the businesses. Darangwa wants the court to nullify the Power of Attorney given to Chiweshe and declare that Kadungure's local companies are without Directors following his passing on November 8, 2020. She also wants the court to confirm the appointment of Juliet Kadungure and Nomatter Zinyegere as Financial and Operations Directors of the said companies while ordering Chiweshe to give an account of the affairs of the companies.
Furthermore, she wants the Respondent to be interdicted and restrained from interfering with her duties as the Executor in respect of the companies.
Darangwa has argued that Chiweshe has no authority to manage the affairs of the companies as the power of authority under which he was acting has become invalid owing to Kadungure’s passing.