A ZIMBABWE National Army (ZNA) officer is reportedly working in cahoots with a Harare city councillor for Mbare ward 3 to fraudulently take over a house belonging to a late Mozambican national from her dependents.
MOSES MATENGA
The soldier, Solomon Chirimerime, is reportedly working with councillor Innocent Maseko and is said to have forcefully taken over the house from the deceased Linda Charlie depriving her “bona fide” dependents of their right to shelter.
The battle to take over house Number 39C, Adbernnie Road, has sucked in Town House and the Association of Mozambicans Resident in Zimbabwe (AMRZ).
According to a letter by AMRZ, Charlie, a Mozambican national, occupied the Mbare house and her dependents had the right to occupy the house since they have no relatives in Zimbabwe.
Charlie’s daughter-in-law Patricia Charlie, who is claiming ownership of the house, accused Chirimerime and Maseko of conspiring with council officials to take over their house.
In November last year, the High Court wrote to Housing and Community Services director in Mbare advising him to stop any transactions on the house until investigations were over, saying the action of changing ownership was tantamount to a criminal act.
Attached to the letter was an affidavit signed by Chirimerime before the ZNA chaplain confirmed he was not the owner and that he would vacate the place by January 1 2014.
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In the affidavit, Chirimerime wrote: “I will move from the above said address where I am residing with my family to pave way to Mrs P Charlie, the lawful owner of the aforesaid house. I will promise to move before January 1, 2014 without failure (sic). Failure to adhere to my promise, disciplinary action will be taken against me.”
In an interview yesterday, Maseko said Charlie was not genuine in her case.
“Consult City of Harare and you will hear the city by-laws. It’s rented accommodation and it’s the City of Harare which has a say on such houses,” Maseko said.
“The houses are not leased and you don’t sublet. The problem is there are many cases and in that instance, it’s an in-law who is claiming that it’s her house.
“These people are of Mozambican origin and the deceased became sick and died while the soldier was taking care of him. The soldier was now staying in the main house and the deceased in the kitchen. He (the soldier) buried him, but 13 years down the line someone comes and say she is the owner.”
Responding to the High Court directive, letters from the High Court and AMRZ’s affidavit, Maseko said the letters were written based on misinformation by Charlie.
“When she came in November, she forcibly removed the soldier from the main house and that letter (from ZNA) you are referring to was signed under duress because she had manipulated the system. I am told that affidavit has since been withdrawn from the council’s files,” Maseko said.
