High Court Orders Rockshade to Refund Church Over Breach of Bus Hire Agreement

The High Court has ordered Rockshade Car Rentals and Tours to repay US$7,125 to the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe (MCZ) after the company failed to supply a luxury 60-seater bus as agreed in their contract.

The court ruled that Rockshade had effectively cancelled the agreement by providing a substandard alternative vehicle.

Justices Benjamin Chikowero and Happias Zhou dismissed Rockshade’s appeal against an earlier Magistrates’ Court decision, which found the company in breach of its contract with the church. The dispute arose ahead of a planned church seminar in Botswana, scheduled for April 2025.

“The letter says it all,” the judges noted, referring to a letter from MCZ dated March 21, 2025, which detailed the church’s complaint about the breach. Rockshade did not respond to the letter, and the court took this as confirmation that the company did not dispute the contract terms or its own failure to fulfill them.

MCZ had contracted Rockshade for a new 60-seater bus to transport church members to Botswana. However, the company only had a 50-seater bus that was already in use and instead offered an older 57-seater in poor condition. This left the church with 60 travelers but insufficient seating.

The replacement vehicle was described by the church as being in poor condition, with damaged seats, an unclean toilet and refrigerator, and reportedly marked for decommissioning. The court concluded that this constituted a clear violation of the original agreement.

“By not providing the 60-seater bus as promised, after falsely claiming to have such a vehicle, the company effectively terminated the contract. The court found that MCZ acted appropriately in seeking a refund once it became evident that Rockshade would not honor the deal,” the judgment stated.

While the High Court upheld most of the Magistrates’ Court’s ruling, it removed the requirement for the refund to be paid within 24 hours, instead ordering that Rockshade pay the amount and legal costs without a strict deadline.

Justice Chikowero dismissed the other points raised by Rockshade in its appeal as irrelevant, stating that they had no bearing on the outcome.

Rockshade must now repay the US$7,125 and bear the cost of suit, while each party will cover its own appeal costs.