HARARE – A South African company has sued Zimbabwean funeral assurance firm, Moonlight Provident Associates, seeking to recover a US$180,000 debt for caskets it supplied, papers filed at the Harare High Court this week showed.
The debt has been outstanding since 2018, according to the South African company, Madales Enterprises (Proprietary) Limited.
Madales says on July 9, 2018, Moonlight – one of Zimbabwe’s biggest funeral services companies – placed an order for an assortment of caskets amounting to US$202,900.
The company then sold and delivered caskets worth US$180,045 to Moonlight, which was to pay 60 percent upon delivery by September 6, 2018, and a balance of 40 percent within 30 days of delivery by October 6, 2018.
They also agreed that Moonlight, which trades as Moonlight Funeral Assurance and Services, would pay the customs and excise duty levied on the caskets by the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority.
On September 6, 2018, Madales delivered the caskets but in breach of the agreement, Moonlight reportedly failed to pay the 60 percent deposit upon delivery and also failed to pay the balance of 40 percent as agreed.
“It was after several follow-ups for payment by Madales including visits to Moonlight offices that the company gave assurance that it was working on modalities with its bankers to pay off the invoice in a once-off payment,” said Madales in its declaration.
“To further assure the plaintiff that payment was being processed, Moonlight furnished Madales with a copy of an application for foreign currency addressed to its bankers dated October 10, 2018, for the sum of US$180,045 corresponding to the invoice amount.”
Madales said notwithstanding the assurance and undertakings it gave, Moonlight did not pay a cent.
The matter is yet to be heard.
- Kukurigo Updates
