Tue, 03 Jan 2017 09:01:10 +0000
BY NATION REPORTER
A COMBINED team of Zambian detectives and South African police have impounded five more trucks belonging to the Post Newspaper in liquidation, hidden in Johannesburg’s Germstone area.
The five trucks were found concealed at a South African trucking yard, Transfit Freight and Forwarding and all the trucks had their Post Newspaper courier labels removed.
This was inspite of the previous ruling which ordered The Post to hand over all their trucks to ZRA in return for their offices to be reopened.
Post Newspaper liquidation manager Robert Chabinga who accompanied the combined team of Zambian and South African police in Johannesburg said the five trucks had now been impounded.
Mr Chabinga however said the transportation of the trucks would have to wait pending international procedures on goods confiscated in a foreign country.
Mr Chabinga said the trucks were discovered after the Zambian and South African crack squad carried out an operation in Germistone area in Johannesburg after a tip that Fred M’membe, the former owner of the Post Newspaper now in liquidation, had hidden the trucks to avoid the provisional liquidator, Lewis Mosho, from taking custody of the assets.
Mr Chabinga said the liquidator was determined to recover all the trucks and other properties that were allegedly hidden following the liquidation of the Post Newspaper by the High Court.
“We were informed that Mr M’membe was hiding the Post Newspaper Courier trucks in Johannesburg in his attempt to frustrate the liquidator, Mr Lewis Mosho, from having custody of the assets as ordered by the court.
‘‘We launched the investigations and indeed we have discovered that the trucks were hidden here in Johannesburg at a South African freight and forwarding company. We have since impounded the five trucks that were found in the yard but the liquidator is determined to recover all the assets that are being hidden. We are going to sell the assets and the money will be paid to former workers and other debtors,” Mr Chabinga said.
Mr Chabinga said the assets will be sold to offset the debt owed to creditors.
And South Africa’s Freight Forwarding Company chief executive officer Robby Forbes said the trucks had been parked in his yard since July last year..
He said the trucks were parked at his company following reports that the Post Newspaper had ceased operations and according to him, there was nothing wrong with the trucks being parked at his premises because it was their business to offer secure facilities to the owners of the trucks.
“The trucks arrive and leave our premises as they please and these trucks (Post Newspaper) have been parked here since July last year. They were parked here after we learnt that the Post Newspaper had ceased operations in Zambia,” Mr Forbes said.
