Soccer legend sues for over R7m
Jomo Cosmos boss Jomo Sono is accusing a Jozi retail company, Masscash, of dribbling him of over R7-million in rental payments.
The company has in turn accused the legendary goal poacher of helping himself to its expensive equipment.
The accusation and the counter accusation are contained in the lawsuit filed in the Joburg high court last month by the trustees of the Matsilele Sono Trust, in which the former
Bafana Bafana coach is a trustee.
In the papers, Sono, who was representing the trust, said Masscash had entered into a lease agreement with his trust on November 1 2009 to occupy a Joburg commercial building.
The lease was supposed to terminate in September 2019.
He said his company vacated the premises on or about January 16 2014 and had not occupied it or carried on business in the premises since then.
He said Masscash’s lawyers, Bowman Gilfillan, had sent a letter to his attorneys, Cranko Karp Attorneys, stating that it had vacated the premises because the former footballer had
repudiated the lease and as a result the lease had accordingly ended.
The company said it would not pay any further rental fee to the former Orlando Pirates player.
Sono said his lawyers wrote back to Masscash lawyers on August 11 2017 denying that he repudiated the lease and demanded payment from the company.
He said he eventually cancelled the lease agreement on August 19 2017 after the company breached the lease agreement when it stopped trading in the premises.
Sono, whose team is canvassing in the National First Division, is now demanding over R94 000 from the company in rental payment, saying he was unable to re-let the premises prior to the date of the termination.
He is also demanding over R2.5-million from the company for the damages he suffered as a result of cancellation of the lease, as well as over R3.7-million from the company to refurbish the premises.
“As at the date of termination of the lease the premises were not in lettable condition as defined in clause 19.2 of the lease. The fair reasonable cost of retuning and delivering the premises to the plaintiff in such lettable condition is the sum of R3 747 344.98,” he said.
Masscash lawyer Paola Cirone, of the Bowman Gilfillan , wrote a letter to Sono’s lawyers and insisted the businessman repudiated the lease when he took possession and control of the premises and undertook major construction work for the purpose of letting the premises.
By Ngwako Malatji
Ngwakom@sundayworld.co.za
Jomo Sono takes retailer to court over unpaid rent
