Online Reporter
H-Metro Reporter
SHAMED former Chitungwiza Housing Director, Alex Mukwewa, is set to appear in court today in a case in which he is being accused of defrauding a Harare businesswoman of US$40,000 in a botched deal in which he sold her a stand.
Mukwewa allegedly sold 5000 square metres of a commercial property at 1263 Damview in St Mary’s to Monica Memory Makombe.
The business woman claims Mukwewa’s wife, Abigail, and two others, Blessing Shamba and Munyaradzi Kapango, were also part of the deal.
She paid Mukwewa US$40,000 and was also ordered to pay a further US$1,000 after being told this payment was necessary to speed up the processing of her lease from Chitungwiza Town Council. Mukwewa and his wife Abigail were directors of a firm called Alvis Agro Mining Venture.
They claimed that the property belonged to the firm and demanded US$38,000 for the property.
After Makombe showed interest in the property, she paid US$17,500 upon the signing of the agreement of sale.
She said she would clear the balance after getting a lease from Chitungwiza Town Council.
Kapanga and Shamba were the witnesses. However, the deal did not sail as smoothly as she anticipated and, when she made some follow-ups, she was told by Abigail that Mukwewa had been arrested for similar deals.
Makombe panicked and visited Mukwewa, while he was detained in custody, and he started to shift the goal posts.
She later learnt that all the stands, which were sold from 2019 were under audit and investigation and all the transactions had been nullified.
“They sold the property for US$38,000 and additional charges amounted to US$40,000 and this was all paid in full,” sources said.
“However, they gave the buyer a fake lease without dates and written Residential instead of commercial as stated on the site plan.
“Abigail Mukwewa was the other director and she is a pastor and director of Alvis Agro Mining.
“So, there is a District officer at St Mary’s Council who signed a fake lease.”
Mukweva has a number of similar cases which have seen him being charged at the courts of law.
Five years ago he appeared in court on criminal abuse of office charges after he allegedly pegged and sold industrial stands on a wetland.
The State alleged he had misrepresented that he was creating a school playground in Zengeza 4.
The State claimed that contrary to a ministerial directive issued by the Local Government and Public Works Ministry to stop the lease or sale of State land in Chitungwiza, Mukwewa accepted an application in his capacity as the then acting housing director.
He later sold the stands.
Mathew Masinge