Chronicle EditorTrish Mukwazo [email protected]
A 40-year-old bogus estate agent from Bulawayo was convicted yesterday after defrauding four victims of over US$80 000 on the pretext of selling them houses.
Mpumelelo Mhlanga, from the Douglasdale suburb and the sole proprietor of Ihawu Holdings, used an elaborate ploy to sell properties, including houses and stands in Bulawayo, from 2017 onwards.
Mhlanga was convicted of forgery, four counts of fraud, and operating as an estate agent without being registered, by Bulawayo Regional Magistrate Mrs Dambudzo Malunga. He defrauded victims of a total of US$86,564.
Mhlanga is set to be sentenced today. One of the victims defrauded by Mhlanga is Ms Rosemary Chanza, who intended to buy a residential flat along Masotsha Avenue and was defrauded of a total of US$40 000, which she has not recovered.
The prosecutor, Mr Owen Mugari, submitted that what aggravates Mhlanga’s offence is that he violated the victims’ trust by posing as a legitimate estate agent. He noted that Mhlanga committed various offences over different periods.
Mhlanga has another pending case in the courts involving three counts of fraud.
Ends…
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter