RETAILER, Meikles Limited, has appointed Batanai Peresuh as its second company secretary, effective March 1, 2025.
In a statement yesterday, Meikles said the appointment was done under the Companies and Other Business Entities Act.
Section 198(2) of the said Act states: "The board of a public company shall appoint one or more secretaries, being a person or persons who are qualified in terms of subsection (4) to be the secretary of a public company, and who must not also hold another office as an officer of the company.”
Peresuh joins Thabani Mpofu in his new role.
“Shareholders are hereby advised of the appointment of Mr. Batanai Peresuh as a second company secretary effective 1 March 2025. The appointment is in line with the provisions of the Companies and Other Business Entities Act [Chapter 24:31], Section 198 Subsection 2,” Meikles said.
“The board welcomes Batanai and looks forward to his valuable contribution to the company and group’s affairs.”
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A legal expert, Peresuh brings a wealth of legal professionalism, with extensive experience in corporate and commercial law, international trade law and commercial litigation.
“He possesses a strong academic foundation, holding a Master of Laws in International Trade Law from Stellenbosch University, South Africa and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Zimbabwe,” Meikles said.
“He is a registered legal practitioner, conveyancer and notary public in the Zimbabwean superior courts.”
The company noted that Peresuh was also a member of the Law Society of Zimbabwe and the International Bar Association.
“He has a proven track record of leadership, having managed the corporate and commercial department at Honey & Blanckenberg Legal Practitioners from 2012 to 2022,” Meikles said.
“Prior to this, he worked as an associate at Atherstone & Cook Legal Practitioners, where he gained valuable experience in litigation and commercial law.”
The appointment of the second company secretary comes amid board squabbles last year that cost the firm over US$5 million in its listed market capitalisation.
In September 2024, Meikles scheduled a board meeting for October 1 to discuss a disposal transaction of its 50% shares in the Victoria Falls Hotel.
However, then Meikle's board members Rugare Chidembo, James Mushore, Stewart Cranswick and Simmon Hammond fired the firm’s chief executive officer Malcolm Mycroft at that board meeting for considering a low offer for the stake.
The move riled Meikle's chairperson John Moxon who moved to fire the board.
Moxon did this through his ownership of the majority shareholder in Meikles, Meikles Consolidated Holdings (Private) Limited. He argued that Mycroft’s firing had not been stated in the notice of the October 1 board meeting.
However, Chidembo, Mushore, Cranswick and Hammond decided to resign their positions on December 18, 2024, the day an extraordinary general meeting had been called by Moxon to remove the quartet from the board.
