PEAK TIMBERS, ROCKLANDS MILL DEMAND E8.6 MILLION

MBABANE - Its two against one! Peak Timbers and Rocklands Mill are jointly demanding a total of about E8.6 million from The General Holdings (PTY) Limited.
The two Pigg’s Peak-based giant forestry companies have since instituted legal proceedings against The General Holdings (Pty) Limited.

The General Holdings (PTY) Limited is a company incorporated in terms of the company laws of the Kingdom of Eswatini with its principal place of business at Tshaneni along the T- Junction leading to Sihhoye in the Lubombo Region.
In the first claim, the plaintiffs (Peak Timbers and Rockland Mill) are demanding a sum of E5 756 331.53. According to the applicants, the aforementioned amount was in respect of goods it sold and delivered to the defendant (The General Holdings).
It alleged that part of the money was a loan the plaintiffs advanced to the defendant.

The applicants contended that despite several demands, the defendant had failed, neglected and/or refused to pay.
The two companies want the defendant to pay the sum of E5 756 331.53 at the agreed rate of nine per cent per annum from the date of the summons to the final date of final payment.
In the second claim, the plaintiffs are demanding a sum of E2 952 852.18, being in respect of goods sold and delivered and services rendered by Rocklands Mill at the instance of The General Holdings (PTY) Limited.

Neglected

The defendant, according to the plaintiffs, had refused, failed and/or neglected to pay the aforementioned amount despite several reminders and demands.
These are allegations contained in particulars of claim whose veracity is still to be tested in court and the defendant is yet to file its papers in the event it is disputing the claim.

“Inform the defendant further that if it disputes the claim and wishes to defend the action, it shall within 10 days of the service upon it of the summons, file with the Registrar of the High Court, notice of intention to defend and serve a copy thereof on the plaintiffs’ attorneys.  If the defendant fails to file and serve a notice as aforesaid, judgment as claimed may be given against it without further notice,” reads part of the summons.
The matter is still pending at the High Court.

Appearing for the plaintiffs in this matter are lawyers from Musa M Sibandze Attorneys in Mbabane.
It should be mentioned that agriculture and forestry, the industry in which Peak Timbers operates, employs about 11.4 per cent of total labour force in the kingdom.
The total number of employed people in the country recently improved from 212 130 to 288 044 out of the current 373 869 labour force.

From the 28.1 per cent of unemployed populace recorded during the 2013/14 labour force survey, there was a drop to 23 per cent in the unemployment rate according to the 2016 survey, which represented a five per cent improvement in the number of people with jobs.

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