A former Simbisa Brands employee is embroiled in a legal dispute with the fast-food giant, accusing the company of defying a court order directing his reinstatement.
Bekezela Sibanda, who served as an operations manager at Simbisa’s Gweru branch, was dismissed in July 2025 following a disciplinary hearing on allegations of sexual harassment, abuse of meal vouchers, and misuse of the company’s dial-a-delivery services.
Sibanda later challenged his dismissal at the Labour Court, which ruled in his favour and ordered his reinstatement, together with payment of all salaries and benefits dating back to the date of dismissal.
According to court documents seen by CITE, the court also directed that Simbisa Brands could conduct a fresh disciplinary hearing before a different panel within 45 days.
“The application for review of disciplinary proceedings be and is hereby granted. The respondent’s determination of the 13th of July 2025 be and is hereby set aside. The applicant be and is hereby reinstated without loss of salary and benefits from the date of suspension,” read part of the Labour Court judgment.
“The matter is remitted for a hearing de novo before a different panel, to be conducted within 45 days of this order. There shall be no order as to costs.”
However, the dispute has since escalated, with Sibanda claiming that Simbisa Brands has refused to comply with the reinstatement directive.
Email correspondence and other documents seen by CITE show Sibanda attempting to resume work, while the company maintained that it had filed an application to rescind the court order and also made an application for a stay of its execution.
The correspondence further highlighted that according to the law, until such a time when the application made by the company is granted by the court, the existing order stands, allowing Sibanda to report for duty.
Sources told CITE that when Sibanda reported for duty in compliance with the court order, he was allegedly confronted by security guards and forced to leave the company premises.
Simbisa Brands’ Director of Human Resources, Misheck Muleya, declined to comment on the matter, referring all inquiries to the company’s public relations department.
Efforts to reach the department for comment were unsuccessful as calls went unanswered.
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