Online Reporter
Yeukai Karengezeka-Court Correspondent
A FREELANCE estate agent, Danai Paddington Mawire (37), appeared in court yesterday facing charges related to a residential stand scam in which a home-seeker lost US$75 000.
The case was presented before Harare magistrate Mr Tapiwa Kuhudzai.
Mawire applied for bail during his court appearance and awaits the court’s ruling.
According to the State, the alleged scam unfolded in December 2024 when the complainant, whose identity remains undisclosed, was searching for a residential stand in Harare and its surrounding areas.
Mawire, along with accomplices Mavis Java and Tinashe Maduza — who are both on remand — along with Tawanda Dendford Bondamakara, who remains at large, allegedly obtained the complainant’s information and offered him stand number 877, located in Quinnington Township of stand 163, Quinnington Township, Harare.
The syndicate purportedly used fraudulent documents issued by the City of Harare to support its claim of ownership, pricing the stand at US$75 000.
Mawire is accused of posing as a legitimate real estate agent with authority to sell the property.
The scam was uncovered when the complainant approached the City of Harare to seek approval for building plans associated with the stand.
They were informed that the property was not owned by the City, but was privately owned, raising immediate suspicions.
Upon attempting to engage Mawire and his accomplices for clarification, the complainant reported that the accused became evasive.
This led them to report the matter to the police, culminating in Mawire’s arrest.
The State alleges that the complainant has suffered a financial loss of US$75 000, and to date, nothing has been recovered.
