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to him for use as collateral to secure loans.
The businessman, who has been identified by his victims as Mr Charles Takavengwa aka Dr Dish, reportedly failed to service the loans and the banks are now threatening to sell the victims’ properties.
In some instances, Mr Takavengwa allegedly went on to sell the bonded properties and the people who bought them have now instituted legal proceedings to recover their money.
One of the victims, who owns a flea market in the city, said Mr Takavengwa duped her into using title deeds to the flea market to enable him to get a $200 000 loan from Metropolitan Bank.
“I had just opened the flea market and business was not as good as I had anticipated. A friend introduced me to Takavengwa saying he could assist me to get a loan. Takavengwa said if we used my title deeds, he could get $200 000 from the bank, then give me a $15 000 loan that I would pay back over two years without interest,” said the woman.
She said Mr Takavengwa assured her that he would pay back the bank loan and she had nothing to worry about.
“The title deeds were in my late husband’s name and he introduced me to lawyers who assisted me to change them to my name. He even crafted an agreement that we signed, detailing how he would pay. Some lawyers have told me that the agreement has legal loopholes,” she said.
The woman said when Mr Takavengwa got the loan, he did not give her the money he had promised.
“He became evasive and started paying me in bits. When I pestered him, he made me a co-director in his company Vision Wise Marketing. I did not know that he was duping me again as the arrangement made me jointly liable for his company’s debts,” she said.
The woman said she was shocked when the bank wrote informing her that it would soon sell the flea market.
“He tried to trick me into signing a form to acknowledge the debt to the bank. It would have given the bank legal power to sell my flea market. I later discovered that he had bought houses for his two sons and wife using the loan. The bank wanted to sell the houses as well. I have reported him to the police and I am seeking legal advice on the issue,” she said, producing documents to support her story.
The woman said she had friends who had been conned by Mr Takavengwa, adding that they were afraid to get their stories in the newspapers.
“If this story comes out, I am sure they will come forward. The public needs to be protected from this man,” she said.
Another woman said Mr Takavengwa had taken title deeds to her home in the eastern suburbs and had given her family a $21 500 loan.
“Without our knowledge, he used the title deeds as collateral to get juice cards worth $250 000 from a mobile service provider. When we raised his money, he could not give us the title deeds because they were being held by the company. We wonder how he managed to use the deeds without our knowledge,” said the woman.
“Please do not publish my name as we are still winding up my husband’s estate. I know of two more people that he conned in the same manner. I have engaged a lawyer to recover the title deeds to my home.”
A Bulawayo man identified as Mr Dlodlo is also suing Mr Takavengwa after he bought a house that Mr Takavengwa had mortgaged with TN Bank.
Mr Takavengwa allegedly duped another widow to get title deeds to the house, which he used as security to get $17 000 from the bank. “He then sold the house to Mr Dlodlo for $15 000. Mr Dlodlo failed to get an ownership transfer as the house was bonded to the bank,” said a lawyer representing Mr Dlodlo on the matter.
Contacted for comment Mr Takavengwa asked this reporter to call after an hour.
“I am getting into a kombi now, call after an hour and I will respond to the allegations,” said Mr Takavengwa.
However, his mobile was later answered by a different person who put this reporter on hold before terminating the call. The mobile number then became unreachable.
Acting Bulawayo police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Bekimpilo Ndlovu, confirmed that a woman had reported Mr Takavengwa to the police.
“We are investigating a fraud case where the suspect is alleged to have used the complainant’s title deeds as surety to obtain a loan. He allegedly failed to service the loan leading to the bank threatening to sell the complainant’s property,” said Asst Insp Ndlovu.
He declined to give further information, saying it would affect investigations.
Online Reporter