GWERU — Tafadzwa Darlingon Chitsaka, a director of a Harare-based estate agency, appeared at the Gweru Magistrates’ Court yesterday facing 82 counts of fraud involving the sale of non-existent residential stands.
The court heard that sometime in 2009, Chitsaka, who is a director of Foundation Housing Development Trust, approached Gweru farmer Iziah Mudzengi and told him they were interested in converting his farm into residential stands.
The State alleges Chitsaka was in the company of Tuhwe Marobora, who is still at large.
When Mudzengi expressed interest in the purpoted deal, he advised the pair he would give them the green light to subdivide the farm once he got clearance from the City of Gweru. However, in June 2011, Chitsaka and Marobora set up an office in the city and started advertising the stands at Mudzengi’s Bucks Farm without his consent.
The State alleges, the newspaper advertisements attracted a huge response from prospective home seekers who were made to pay for the stands at the suspects’ offices or complete stop order forms to have the money deducted from their salaries. Between June and July last year, the suspects had allegedly collected $49 250 from 82 unsuspecting home seekers.
On July 9, Mudzengi got wind of the alleged scam and reported the matter to the police. Police immediately raided the suspects’ office, arrested Chitsaka and recovered several documents including stands’ application forms and a receipt book.
However, Chitsaka through his lawyer Evidence Gonese has denied the fraud charge insisting he had a written agreement with Mudzengi authorising him to subdivide the farm and sell the stands. Chitsaka was granted $500 bail and remanded to August 9 for trial.
