A HWANGE Zanu PF councillor is back in court for allegedly defrauding a desperate Bulawayo home seeker in a housing stands scandal.
BY SILAS NKALA
Farai Matavire Shoko (42) of Mbizha ward 6, was denying three counts of fraud when he appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Gladmore Mushove.
Shoko had sometime in 2015 been slapped with 420 hours of community service of the same charges and was ordered to restitute the complainants. The matter has been brought back for retrial.
On Wednesday, the magistrate remanded him to March 22 for continuation of trial.
Allegations are that in the first count he defrauded Lovemore Nkosiyabo Mutambiranwa (27) of Famona in Bulawayo.
It is alleged that sometime between January 1 and 31 2015, Shoko placed an advertisement in a local newspaper selling stand number 7096 Cowdray Park through an agent, Mike Ndlovu.
On January 9, 2015 Mutambiranwa met Shoko in the city where the now late Ndlovu’s office was. Shoko showed him an offer letter from the city council alleging that the stand was in the name of his son.
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It is alleged that Mutambiranwa paid $1 300 as deposit on that day which was pegged at $1 800 and another $200 was paid into an account purportedly belonging to the City of Bulawayo.
A memorandum of agreement was drafted by Shoko who also wrote an affidavit claiming that he was selling the stand on behalf of his son. Mutambiranwa later paid the balance on February 7 2015.
The plaintiff developed the stand and by the end of June 2015, he had completed building a two-roomed cottage costing $3 000.
He later discovered that the stand was in the name of Kevin Moyo and went to verify with council which confirmed it.
In the second count he allegedly defrauded Bhekinkosi Macleans Moyo. It is alleged that on November 14, 2014, Shoko was in his office when he told Moyo that he was selling a residential stand at a cost of $2 350. He then drafted an agreement of sale and Moyo paid $1 800 and they agreed that he would clear the balance after verifying. Between November 14, 2014 and December 8, 2015 Moyo made developments at the stand gobbling $12 000.
Moyo was shocked when he was approached by Doctor Moyo who said he had not given Shoko the permission to sell the stand. The complainant suffered prejudice of $13 800.
Shoko also allegedly defrauded Patricia Chigwedere, a teacher in the United Kingdom, of over $1 500. It is alleged that sometime in December 2014, Chigwedere met Shoko in Cowdray Park and showed her stand number 16972 which he was offering for sale at $2 500.
On December 30 2014, Chigwedere went to lawyers Cheda and Partners offices where a memorandum of agreement of sale was drafted after Chigwedere paid $1 500 deposit. On December 31 2014, Shoko brought a deposit slip to Chigwedere as confirmation of payment to Bulawayo City Council for registration of the stand, but the receipt was faint.
In August 2015, Chigwedere visited Cowdray Park housing office to check and discovered it was registered in the name of Edmore Ncube.
He confronted Shoko, who went on to show her another stand which belonged to someone again.
A check with the bank revealed that Shoko had deposited R1 000 and not $1 000 as purported. Chigwedere reported the matter to the police, leading to Shoko’s arrest.
