×
NewsDay

AMH is an independent media house free from political ties or outside influence. We have four newspapers: The Zimbabwe Independent, a business weekly published every Friday, The Standard, a weekly published every Sunday, and Southern and NewsDay, our daily newspapers. Each has an online edition.

Manase woes continue

News
MEMBERS of the Magamba Echimurenga Housing Scheme have written to LSZ to investigate lawyer Wilson Manase over the handling of the change of ownership of Amsterdam Farm.

MEMBERS of the Magamba Echimurenga Housing Scheme have heaped additional misery on Harare lawyer Wilson Manase after they wrote to the Law Society of Zimbabwe (LSZ) to have him investigated over the way he handled the change of ownership of Amsterdam Farm, on the outskirts of Harare.

PAIDAMOYO MUZULU

Manase, a senior partner of Manase and ManaseLegal Practitioners, is also being probed by Criminal Investigation Department Serious Frauds Squad over the same issue after he, at different times, allegedly assisted three different parties to claim ownership of the farm.

Magamba Echimurenga Housing Scheme chairman Retired Brigadier-General Boniface Mao Hurungudo yesterday confirmed that his organisation had filed a formal complaint to LSZ.

“We have officially written a formal complaint to LSZ about Manase’s conduct in the handling of the transferring of ownership of Amsterdam Farm after we paid him the purchase fee as far back as 1999,” Hurungudo said.

He added: “In the letter we provided our proof of payment and correspondence between us and Manase on the purchase of the farm which we want to develop a housing estate for our members.”

The dispute over ownership of the farm has been dragging in the court since 1999 when Kilberry Investments, which is controlled by Russians, got a court interdict against JB Ziko, Manase and Manase Legal Practitioners, Amsterdam of Ordar and the Registrar of Deeds to stop change ownership of the farm to anyone before the dispute was resolved by the court.

Justice Vernanda Ziyambi gave the order which is recorded as Caveat No. 2162/99.

Magamba Echimurenga Housing Scheme provided copies of correspondence between it and Manase and Manase.

In one excerpt, Manase wrote to the War Veterans Association housing scheme in 1999 reads, “Be advised that Stand Nos 1445, 1546, 1526, 1525, 1524 and 1523 cost $150 000 each and No.s 1547 and 1548 cost $180 000 each. Kindly make arrangements to pay the amount which will be in the sum of $1 260 000 and note that we require a bank cheque or cash only.”

The documents also show that Magamba Echimurenga made the payments, but the stands were never transferred to it.