Dar es Salaam. Owners of the famous British Legion Tanganyika Club, along Ali Hassan Mwinyi Road in Dar es Salaam, and members of the club, patronised by over 150 heavyweight politicians, senior civil servants and wealthy businessmen are involved in a serious tug of war over the property.
Owners of the club, the Registered Trustees of Parthenon Hall—comprising the Orthodox faithful, announced early this week that the club has been closed to pave way for the construction of a Sh30 billion development structure in the area covering two hectares.
On Tuesday, members of the club represented by their lawyer Evod Mmanda of Topnotch Attorneys filed a suit in the High Court’s Land Division seeking an order to restrain the owners from evicting members.
High Court Judge John Mgetta gave an order restraining the Registered Trustees of Parthenon Hall from evicting members pending hearing and final determination of the main suit in which the club members are requesting the court to grant them a certificate of occupancy for the area.
He also ordered owners of the club to remove containers placed at the entrance of the club to allow its free access pending determination of the main suit.
However, the spokesperson for the Registered Trustees of Parthenon Hall, advocate Edward Chuwa, said yesterday that on Monday he will appeal to the court to rescind its decision on technical grounds.
Mr Chuwa, a senior counsel and managing partner of Chuwa and Company Advocates, said in the suit members of the club have claimed that the club is located on plot number 11604 Upanga Road in Dar es Salaam, a location which does not exist.
He said the Registered Trustees of Parthenon Hall were lawful owners of the club holding a 99-year-lease title deed issued on 29 March, 1951.
Mr Chuwa said the order to transform the club into a multi-billion social services complex was made by the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church, His Holiness Theodoros, during his three-day visit to Tanzania in February, this year.
The lawyer said the head of the Orthodox Church was disturbed when he learned how the club was being misused and ordered that “it should be used for rendering social services such as education to human kind and not otherwise”.
Mr Chuwa said the Registered Trustees of Parthenon Hall made the decision to transform the club into the state-of-the-art complex on 16 April, 2013.
