Online Reporter
Zvikomborero Parafini
MAVIS Java Madzivanza, the sister of Prophet Passion Java, was yesterday jailed for FIVE years for selling nine non-existent stands.
She faces more legal woes as she has a pending case in which she is facing theft of trust property charges.
Java, was convicted after a full trial together with her accomplice Pauline Gutsa and they will both serve five years in jail.
Prosecutor Oscar Madhume proved that the pair sold nine non-existent stands to Harare businesspeople – Farai Chikiwa, Naledi Maunganidze and Fortune Rukara worth US$119 000.
The pair are co-directors of Segimel Investments that is said to be in the business of buying and selling stands.
The victims discovered that they had been duped after verifications with the City of Harare showed that the stands were not on the local authority’s data base.
Java is facing another case in which she is before the courts and is being accused of violating a trust agreement between herself and a car rental company, in which she allegedly sold a car that she had rented out.
In September 2019, Chikuwa was introduced to Mavis and Gutsa and the pair misrepresented that they were selling stands in Milton Park, Vainona, Logan Park and Gunhill.
They produced Harare City Council site plans for the proposed subdivision of the stands and, acting on the misrepresentation Chikuwa, who is a director of two construction companies, decided to buy three stands in Milton Park, which were going for US$15,000 each.
She bought six more stands on her own behalf and for Maunganidze in Vainona and Logan Park valued at US$64,000.
Chikuwa paid a total of US$97,450 as deposit for the nine stands into the trust account of the attorney’s pair.
Gutsa promised to deliver offer letters but nothing materialised.
Chikuwa approached the City of Harare to confirm the status of the stands and was told they were non-existent on their data base, prompting her to report the matter to the police.
Chikuwa lost US$97,450.
On the other count, on June 19 2019, Rukara was looking for a residential stand and he was referred to Mavis and Gutsa, who confirmed they had stands for sell.
Rukara settled for a Greendale stand which was being sold for US$35,000 but he negotiated for a reduction to US$20,000 since the stand had no title deeds.
Mavis and Gutsa then approached a lawyer who assisted them by drafting an agreement of sale and Rukara deposited US$20,000 into the lawyer’s trust account.
When Rukara visited Greendale district office, the court heard, he was told it was not a residential stand.
The complainant in the other case is Palm Car Rental, which is being represented by Machel Chipara, its director.
Prosecutor Dzidzai Josiah alleged that on July 23 last year, Mavis hired a Honda Vezel, registration number AGW 8155, from Chipara.
They agreed that Mavis was to pay US$60 per day. Mavis allegedly stopped making payments for the car in January this year.
Chipara made follow-ups on his payments from Mavis’ daughter who then advised him that her mother had been remanded in custody and was at Chikurubi Female Prison after her bail was revoked amid the fraud trial.
Further enquiries were made by Chipara and she found out that her car was with Billy Chigwaza, a car dealer.
Chipara then filed a police report at Highlands and investigations revealed that Mavis handed over the car to Chigwaza as collateral for a loan from him.
Chigwaza sold the car to Itai Gonyora of Mutare after Mavis failed to service the loan.
The car was recovered in Mutare on Thursday last week.
