Chronicle Editor
Raymond Jaravaza
WHEN the person who apparently conned her disappeared into thin air, Motilina Mpofu vented her anger and frustrations on a social media platform that “introduced” her to the alleged fraudster – Facebook.
She ranted, huffed, puffed, and called out the alleged fraudster to pay back her money. She was not mincing her words.
All courtesy and politeness were thrown out of the window with her fingers doing the “talking” on her smartphone.
“Thubelihle Ncube, I want my money, you are a crook who disappeared with my US$50 after promising to find a house to rent for my family. That money will never make you rich, you will die poor.
“It was all a scam; you didn’t even have a house available for rent. I’ll expose you for the world to see that you are a crook,” she exploded on social media. According to Mpofu, the property agent, Ncube replied to her message seeking a full house to rent in high-density suburbs.
The two “met” on a Facebook group called Rooms for rent in Bulawayo. Little did she know it was the beginning of her problems.
Ncube allegedly asked for an agent fee of US$50 and promised the home seeker that she would move into the house the following month. With the money in her pocket, Ncube started playing the cat and mouse with her client.
It’s an all too familiar story for people seeking houses or rooms to rent in the City of Kings.
Established real estate agents and firms have been pushed to the periphery of the industry by social media property agents, who promise cheap and reliable services for people looking for houses or rooms to rent.
Bulawayo is facing an accommodation crunch, and young people are feeling the pinch.
Young couples seeking decent and affordable accommodation are the hardest hit – accommodation is now gold in the City of Kings.
Registered real estate agent Thabiso Ndiweni, a veteran in the industry, says home seekers have never faced an accommodation crunch as witnessed in recent years.
“Years ago, looking for accommodation, especially in the high-density suburbs, was a word-of-mouth affair. One would simply spread the word that they are looking for, say for example two rooms to rent in Mpopoma, and they would get the accommodation in a matter of days,” explained Ndiweni.
But things have changed, says the real estate agent.
“Real estate agents are overwhelmed. More people, especially young couples, are looking for good accommodation yet few homeowners are renting out their houses or cottages. The market is now very tight. The danger is that with such a competitive market, estate agents are collecting fees from people looking for accommodation when they don’t have the houses or rooms to offer their clients,” said Ndiweni.
He is not surprised that bogus real estate agents are mushrooming at an alarming rate.
Even the body that regulates the industry, the Estates Agents Council of Zimbabwe is also concerned about bogus real estate agents.
A few months ago, the organisation published a list of 60 bogus real estate agents and 20 blacklisted firms that it warned the public against dealing with.
Back to the Facebook war between the home seeker and real estate agent, things took an even more aggressive turn after Mpofu outed the alleged con woman masquerading as a property agent.
Fed up with bogus real estate agents that swindle people of their hard-earned cash, Facebook user Nokukhanya Jubane started an “
Judging by the response her protest elicited online, Bulawayo home-seekers are fed up with bogus real estate agents. In a few hours after the campaign started, it garnered hundreds of “likes” and multitudes of comments.
Some deals are too good to be true, warned another group member Memory Makuwaza. She cited a post that called for prospective young couples looking for a four-roomed house in Pumula South to pay an agent fee of US$180. The monthly rent for the house was pegged at US$40.
“Who in their right mind rents out a four-roomed house, with water and electricity, for US$40? Then the agent asks for a fee of US$180. People, wake up and stop being victims of bogus real estate agents because you think you have scored a bargain,” warned Makuwaza.
The “agents must fall” campaign certainly rattled a few nerves among the social media real estate agents. Howard Mandiona says a few bad apples are tarnishing the image of an otherwise legit business.
He says he feeds his family from the industry and his heart bleeds when clients are conned of their money.
“When a homeowner makes his house available for rent, it is business and food on the table for me. It’s my job to seek suitable clients who fit the requirements of the homeowner and I only charge an agent fee when the clients are happy and ready to move into the house.
“We’re not all crooks. A few individuals have noticed that more and more people are looking for accommodation and they prey on them for a quick buck,” said Mandiona. – @RaymondJaravaza
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