BY TREVOR MUTSVAIRO LOCAL infrastructure company, Public Places Hygiene (Pvt) Ltd has been defrauded of US$41 000 through a tuckshop development scam.
The issue came into light when Abel Jani (29) appeared before Harare magistrate Yeukai Dzuda facing fraud charges.
Dzuda remanded him out of custody to August 22 for trial commencement.
It is alleged that last October, Plan Infrastructure Development (Pvt), represented by Jani, entered into an agreement with the City of Harare to construct residential flats at stand number 41282 Ardbennie Road in Mbare near Tagarika Flats.
A memorandum of agreement was signed between the two parties, which had salient terms that included that the land would remain under the Harare City Council. The purpose of the land was to construct residential flats.
However, in March this year and contrary to the terms of the memorandum of agreement, Jani entered into an agreement with another company, called Public Places, represented by Tonderai Walter Muchemwa.
In the agreement, Jani offered the same land to the company for construction of temporary structures for use for a period of 36 months.
Public Places paid US$19 000 for the land to Hillary Mukaratirwa, a director of Plan Infrastructure Development and a Jani accomplice who has since been arrested over the same case and is currently out on remand.
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The company constructed 100 tuckshops that were to be shared by Muchemwa and some youths who claimed to be representing the Mbare community.
After completing the construction, Public Places paid another US$22 400 to Muchemwa for the purpose of buying his company out of the project.
However, the complainant later discovered that the land in question belonged to the Harare City Council for the purpose of constructing residential flats and the tuckshops which were constructed were demolished.
Zebediah Bofu prosecuted.
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