The two
appeared before Harare magistrate Mrs Marehwanazvo Gofa, who remanded them out
of custody on US$400 bail to October 14 for routine remand.
State
prosecutor Rufaro Chonzi detailed the events leading to the charges, stating
that in April 2022, Chitanga and Maibeka unlawfully trespassed onto Stand 19156
Salisbury Township Lands (Municipal Plot), which belongs to the City of Harare.
They subdivided
the land into residential stands measuring between 1 000 and 4 000 square
metres.
The accused
entered into an agreement with a local development company to undertake road
construction at the site and authorised them to sell the residential stands on
behalf of Brickstone Builders and Contractors (Pvt) Limited.
From April 2022
to November 2022, the local development company sold four residential stands,
handing over all proceeds to Chitanga, who drafted the agreements of sale. She signed on behalf of the seller, while the
four signed as buyers.
During this
same time, Chitanga personally sold 12 additional residential stands, again
drafting agreements and signing on behalf of the seller.
The
complainants, believing they had legally purchased the land, began constructing
homes on their allocated stands.
However, in
2023, officials from the Harare City Council demolished the houses, asserting
that the builders had illegally occupied council land. When the complainants
sought clarification from Chitanga, she became evasive and failed to provide
any meaningful assistance.
As a result of
the actions of the two, the complainants suffered significant financial losses.
The actual prejudice suffered by the complainants amounted to US$345 500, with
no recoveries made.
In a separate
but similar allegation, the two were accused of defrauding another group of 16
home seekers in Ridgeview, Belvedere, Harare, leading to additional losses of
US$74 000.
Chonzi said
Chitanga and Maibeka engaged in a pattern of fraudulent activity, unlawfully
selling council land and misleading desperate buyers.
The systematic
nature of their alleged crimes has raised concerns about the prevalence of land
scams, particularly affecting vulnerable individuals seeking housing. Herald
0 comments:
Post a Comment