School row: Unitime speaks out

right as the owner of title to sell the property to Herentals College.
Unitime Investments has accused an official from the deeds office for issuing a second title deed to Release Power Investments. Unitime Investments and Release Power are fighting for control of the property.

Engineer Antony Parehwa, a director of Unitime, said from the time of acquiring ownership of the property, they worked well with the community and the school administration.
“What is happening is a change of management and where change happens there is always resistance as is happening between the new owners and the current management which can easily be resolved amicably if the staff is allowed to find employment with the new owner Herentals Group of Colleges. The real issue relates to the ownership and if indeed it is proven that there are two title deeds in the same property, this is tantamount to the Ministry of Justice legalising corruption. There is no way a single property can end up with two title deeds,” he said.

He said the ownership claim by Release Power was not supported by a lawful title deed adding that the latter should be brought to task as to how they got a deed six months after another had already been issued to Unitime.

Eng Parehwa said that was the reason why the High Court had given Herentals College, who own more than 10 colleges in Harare, the green light to continue operating at the school.
Ms Elizabeth Mawire, who works at the Deeds Registry was fingered in attempting to issue a second title deed to Release Power and a case No CR 488/7/2010 was reported at ZRP Serious Frauds.

Unitime Investments has declared that they own the property as per Title Deed Number 3410/2009.
A letter from the Chief Registrar of Deeds acknowledges that there are two title deeds to the property.Release Power Investments also claims to owns the same property through Title Deed Number 4873/2009. The school is built on Stand Number 7953 Tynwald Township of Stand Number 7739.

Ms Mawire acknowledged in a letter written on May 5, 2011 to individuals identified as Gahadzikwa and Mupunga that the property had two title deeds.
“I am writing to confirm that the above referred stand has two title deeds which were issued for the same property to two different owners. However, deed number 3410/2009 did not go through the deduction process of the Surveyor General whereas deed number 4873/2009 went through deduction, both deeds were registered in this office. It is unfortunate that our system does not reject duplication of stands,” she wrote.

Mrs Mawire, however, expressed ignorance on how the two companies ended up owning one property..
Unitime Investments has also written to the Attorney General’s Office alleging corruption and fraudulent issuance of title deeds.The company also attached a letter authorising the transfer of the property to Unitime Investments.