A disgruntled handyman has dragged Mahalapye West Member of Parliament David Tshere’s wife, Oganeditse Tshere to court for a debt she incurred when he fixed her washing machine.
The court heard during that the aggrieved man, Daniel Rakaisa was called by Oganeditse to repair the damaged machine in 2017.
Rakaisa submitted that he and Oganeditse agreed on a charge of P500 for diagnosing the problem and P950 for repairs.
He said that when he finished the job, Oganeditse was not home so he left a message with the house helper that he would return in the evening with the invoice.
However, when he went back he found Tshere who complained that P1 450 was an exorbitant charge and instead offered to pay P300.
Apparently, an argument ensued and Tshere instructed Rakaisa to report the matter to the Commissioner of Labour for a proper computation and a determination as to how much a job is done by an unskilled person like him would cost.
However, Rakaisa decided to report Tshere for common nuisance at Broadhurst Customary Court instead where the MP was found guilty and fined P300.
“I couldn’t accept his P300 payment because I had already agreed with his wife on a fee of P500 for diagnosis of the problem and that was meant to be a separate charge. This is an insult to my profession and I am trained and certified to do this job. I even attached my academic certificates when registering this matter with the court. This case has been dragged on for too long and I have spent a lot of money engaging sheriffs,” said Rakaisa
In her defence, Oganeditse said before the commencement of the job she had verbally with Rakaisa that she would pay if he did not charge more than P300.
She argued that Rakaisa did not give the exact amount claiming he could not estimate the cost of the job because he needed to fix the machine first and state the charge once he had succeeded.
She pleaded with the court to dismiss Rakaisa’s claims with costs.
Magistrate Thandi Baleseng ordered that Rakaisa submit his arguments based on what Oganeditse had presented before the court.
The case was adjourned to the 26th of November for ruling.
