adminEmily Mbewe Court Reporter
THE owner of The Lounge Bar in Bulawayo, Phathisani Nkomo, has been allegedly defrauded of $170,000 after he got into an agreement to buy a double storey shop from a Shurugwi woman.
Ethel Mapfidza Zvinavashe, 46, was yesterday arraigned before the Bulawayo magistrates’ courts facing a fraud charge.
She was not asked to plead and remanded in custody to March 23.
Zvinavashe begged the court to give her time to negotiate terms of repayment with Nkomo while pleading to be remanded out of custody.
But Magistrate Sibongile Msipa-Marondedze told her that she could not remand her out of custody as she was facing a serious allegation.
“$170,000 is a lot of money so you will be in custody. If Nkomo wants to negotiate payment he will come and see you at Mlondolozi and if he wants to withdraw the case he will’ve to do it in this court,” said Msipa-Marondedze.
Prosecuting, Charles Danda told the court that on January 28, 2013, Zvinavashe entered into an agreement with George Zingani to sell the double storey shop at number 67005 in Bulawayo’s Sizinda suburb.
Zingani is the director of the defunct Geozing pawnbrokers.
“The shop was to be sold under deed of transfer for $160,000,” said Danda.
The court heard that an agreement of sale was drafted by Cheda and Partners situated along Jason Moyo and 8th Avenue and Zingani paid Zvinavashe $158,000.
Danda told the court that sometime in March the same year, Zingani decided to sell the property to Nkomo since they had not yet changed the title deeds.
The trio agreed to transfer the property directly to Nkomo.
“Zvinavashe together with her husband Bobby Zvinavashe, Nkomo, Zingani and Tendai Chikowore went to Cheda and Partners and changed the agreement of sale into Nkomo’s name,” said Danda.
The court heard that the agreement of sale was signed by all parties.
Danda said Zvinavashe later demanded money from Nkomo to clear her loan at the bank so that they could obtain the title deeds that were being held by the bank.
Nkomo gave her cash amounting to $10,000 and signed a handwritten acknowledgement receipt, the court heard.
Zvinavashe, who was now renting the shop from Nkomo, collected her title deeds from Kingdom bank.
“After that Zvinavashe defaulted paying rentals,” said Danda.
When Nkomo started demanding the title deeds and rentals from Zvinavashe, she told him that she never sold the shop to him and was not renting.
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