AN MDC Alliance councillor for Chitungwiza appeared at the Harare Magistrates Court yesterday facing fraud charges after selling a non-existent residential stand to a unsuspecting homeseeker.
Darlington Musonza appeared before magistrate Stanford
Mambanje who remanded him to September 30 on $20 000 bail. Musonza, who was
represented by Lorretta Makumbe, is councillor for ward 12 in Chitungwiza.
Allegations are that sometime in 2017, the complainant
Kudakwashe Chatima approached a Chitungwiza-based real estate agent Vincent
Tom-Barris intending to buy a residential stand.
A few days later, Tom-Barris advised Chatima that Musonza
was selling residential stands in Chitungwiza. Tom-Barris then introduced
Chatima to Musonza, who indicated that there was a stand, number 14557 in
Zengeza 3 Extension, on sale.
It is alleged that Chatima showed interest in the stand and
agreed to purchase it for US$3 800.
On March 13, 2017, Chatima made a payment of US$3 230
through a bank transfer from his CABS bank account to Musonza’s Steward Bank
account.
Chatima made a further cash payment of US$570 to Musonza to
reach the agreed purchase price. After receiving full payment, Musonza and Chatima then signed an agreement
of sale.
The complainant was then given an allocation letter with a
letterhead from Cone Textiles Housing Co-operative by Musonza and was advised
to proceed to Chitungwiza Municipality offices to process change of ownership.
However, the Chitungwiza housing director could not locate
the file records for the stand. Chatima then made a report at the Zimbabwe
Anti-Corruption Commission and investigations revealed that the stand number
14557 was an open space and not for residential purposes. As a result of
Musonza’s misrepresentation, Chatima lost
US$3 800. Newsday
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