The scheme saw many people losing their investments in
2014.
Now, Mlangeni and Kambunda are accusing Emmanuel
Chatongeda, village head Frederick Matika and a clergyman, Joseph Kazembera, of
selling Kambunda’s 2000-square-metre stand to at least 16 unsuspecting buyers
behind his back.
Eugene Matinyadze, Godfrey Gozhombwe, Precious Tenderere,
Macbolan Musada, Maureen Chizaka, Precious Ndongwe and one Gwenzi are some of
the victims who were allegedly scammed in the land deal.
The victims lost more than US$15 000 in total.
The matter was recently heard before Headman Chigodora.
In his submissions, Mlangeni said the land originally
belonged to him before he sold it to Kambunda for a small fee.
This was after he relocated to South Africa as he was being
fingered in the emotive Capital Base pyramid scheme.
“I relocated to South Africa in 2014. Since I came back, I
have been staying in Harare. Recently, I was told that my land in Chigodora was
sold to various people by someone purporting to be my son.
“It was said he was working in cahoots with the village
head and a local pastor. After rushing here, I have tried to contact
Chatongeda, but he is evading me,” said Mlangeni.
“When I engaged the buyers, they told me that my son,
acting on my instructions, had sold them the land.
‘‘They even showed me chats between them and someone
purporting to be me. The person uses a South African cellphone number,” he
said.
However, all hell broke loose during the court session when
the Capital Base pyramid scheme victims realised that Mlangeni was back in the
country.
The victims bayed for his blood while demanding that the
matter be referred to the police.
“I highly suspect that this man is playing games with us. I
believe he was using Chatongeda to sell the land so that they swindle more
people. The matter should be reported to the police. He swindled people back
then, why would he stop now?” shouted one person from the gallery.
Another one, Nehemiah Matsika chipped in: “Why did this man
not report this matter to the police if he was indeed swindled by Chatongeda?
Why did he bring a criminal matter to a community court?
“He was working in cohorts with these three men to sell the
land. The proceeds of the land sale would be forwarded to him in South Africa
and now he claims that he was not the one receiving the money.
He wants to play victim, yet they were working together.
This matter should be dealt with by the police and not this court, why is he
evading the police?”
What baffled most people was that Mlangeni’s manager, only
identified as Gwenzi, was among the people who were swindled of their
hard-earned cash in the land scam.
Mlangeni explained: “Gwenzi is indeed my manager, but he
did not know of this land. I do not know these people and want Headman
Chigodora to assist me in bringing them to book,” he pleaded.
Headman Chigodora adjourned the matter to July 8 to allow
Matika to appear before the community court.
However, when he didn’t show up, the Headman Chigidora
ruled that the 16 victims could subdivide the land and settle there. Manica
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