A HWANGE councillor for Mbizha Ward 6, Farai Matavire Shoko (Zanu PF), is allegedly embroiled in a scandal where he swindled desperate Bulawayo prospective home owners of $11 500.
BY SILAS NKALA
Shoko (42) of Cowdray Park appeared before Bulawayo magistate Tinashe Tashaya and was granted $100 bail following his arrest.
His trial will resume on August 31 where he will answer to fraud charges.
The allegations were that Shoko defrauded three Bulawayo residents, Beauty Mawoko (34), Sikhathele Sibanda, and Margaret Thebe, of $11 594,65 after they approached him seeking residential stands.
Mawoko was said to have met Shoko in March this year and was told he was selling a residential stand number 7830 in Cowdray Park for $3 000.
She was asked to go to office number 10 at Empire Building in Bulawayo where she paid $1 500 to Shoko for an agreement of sale.
She also paid a further $300 to Shoko for the stand on March 10 this year.
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On May 14, Mawoko was said to have paid the balance of $1 250, plus a $50 fee which Shoko said was for council monthly rates.
Mawoko was allegedly given a fake pro-forma invoice on June 13 that stated that she had been offered stand number 16991 of Cowdray Park.
This was followed by issuance of a fake form on June 19, which was said had emanated from council.
Mawoko then suspected foul play and she went to council to confirm if the form was authentic.
She was told that the stand in question belonged to Joseph Moyo.
Mawoko then discovered she had been defrauded of $3 050.
Sibanda, also of Cowdray Park who is married to Ndumiso Tshabalala (35), who works in South Africa, allegedly lost $5 864,65 to Shoko after she was sold another fake housing stand.
She was said to have met Shoko, who told her stand number 18281 in Cowdray Park was up for sale.
She paid $2 000 and was also asked to pay $160 to the office agents.
On March 30, Tshabalala and his wife met Shoko at his offices and paid an extra $1 500.
Tshabalala started developing the stand, but was approached by house inspectors who ordered him to stop due to ownership irregularities.
Tshabalala checked with the housing offices and was told the stand belonged to Nomusa Sibanda.
In another incident, Shoko allegedly defrauded Margret Thebe (52) of Old Magwegwe of $2 680 sometime in April 2014.
She was paying for stand number 10763 in Cowdray Park.
Thebe, accompanied by her sister, was said to have paid $1 000 as deposit for the stand.
An agreement was then made that she would pay $50 every month for five years for the stand, which was said to be $3 500.
She paid the $50 monthly instalments up to August 4.
When she went to the housing office to get a clearance letter to propose a house plan, Thebe was told the stand belonged to Lovemore Moyo.
She reported the matter to the police leading to Shoko’s arrest.
