BY DESMOND CHINGARANDE FORMER Local Government minister Savior Kasukuwere’s younger brother Stanley and his wife Martha Batsirai Bakare were yesterday issued with warrants of arrest after failing to appear in court to answer to allegations of duping Zanu PF member Tongai Matutu of US$35 000 in a botched land deal.
Kasukuwere (46) and Bakare (36) were supposed to appear before Harare magistrate Shane Kubonera. Their names were called three times in and outside the court by the court orderly to no avail.
Allegations are that sometime in February 2021, Matutu was referred to the accused persons by a friend, Arnold Batirai who had told him that the couple was selling an undeveloped residential stand situated at number 73C Carrick Creagh of section 4, Borrowdale Estate, measuring 2 030 square metres.
On February 1, 2021, Matutu allegedly went to view the stand in the company of Kasukuwere’s personal assistant, Caroline Tembo.
“The stand is a subdivision of a certain piece of land situated in the district of Salisbury called stand number 73 Carrick Creagh of section, Borrowdale Estate measuring 6947m² held under deed number 6376/2018 dated October 31, 2018,” the court documents read.
Matutu was asked to pay an asking price of US$45 000 for the stand, but negotiated with Tembo to lower the price to US$40 000 and agreed.
It is alleged that on February 13, 2021, an agreement of sale was drafted with the accused persons being the sellers and he went on to pay US$35 000 for the stand and promised to pay the balance of US$5 000 upon transfer of the property.
Kasukuwere and his wife acknowledged receipt of cash and signed the documents.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Sometime in April 2021, the complainant carried out due diligence on the property and found out that it was at the centre of an ownership wrangle at the High Court under HC 10839/18.
The accused persons had allegedly misrepresented to the complainant that they were the lawful owners of the stand. Facts showed that their deed number 6376/18 had been cancelled by the High Court on January 16, 2019 and was no longer valid.
Matutu engaged the accused persons, who acknowledged that they made a mistake and promised to refund him. He made frantic efforts to recover the money, to no avail after the accused persons became evasive, and were no longer reachable prompting him to make a police report.
- Follow Desmond on Twitter@DChingarande1
