HARARE - Flamboyant businessman, Phillip Chiyangwa claims he lost thousands of dollars after a client and former employee failed to pay his car-hire service.

In the circumstances, his company Glory Hire Travel and Tours has since taken Elijah Chifamba to the High Court demanding payment.

According to court documents, the client — with whom he has also clashed over other business deals — hired the vehicle on three occasions, but failed to pay for the services.

Chifamba, it was alleged, hired a Mercedes Benz C200 in November 2010 on a $300 per day contract, but exceeded the agreed distance or mileage.

After allegedly returning the vehicle with an excess mileage of 605km — and liable to pay $4 714 for the extra days — the Harare engineer only paid $1 849 in deposit.

And after the Mercedes Benz debacle, Chifamba also hired a Land Rover from Chiyangwa’s Glory Car Hire on two separate occasions, but failed to pay for the services, the company says in its court papers.

According to the papers, Chifamba allegedly owes $18 972 40.

However, the Harare businessman claims he had paid all the money to the flashy businessman in respect of the sedan car hire and use.

On the Land Rover deal, Chifamba insists he was given as deposit for fees or money on Chiyangwa’s Kasese project, where the former was working as a project engineer on the property venture.

On the other hand, Chifamba says Chiyangwa owes him R27 000 borrowed in July 2010 and which was never repaid, and therefore the amount should offset any outstanding fees or money owed for the car hire services.

The case was heard yesterday in chambers before High Court Judge Hlekani Mwayera.

The matter was postponed to February 27 to give time for both parties to negotiate so as to come up with a possible consent order.