Online Reporter
Zvikomborero Parafini
TWO more people, who are believed to be behind the illegal parcelling out of land in Belvedere where numerous houses were demolished by the City of Harare, have been nabbed.
Lilian Chitanga and Spencer Mabeka were not asked to plead when they appeared before Harare regional magistrate Marewanazvo Gofa.
The two who have pending cases at the Harare magistrate’s court and were released on US$400 bail and were ordered not to interfere with witnesses, to reside at their known addresses and to report once a fortnight at CID Commercial Crimes Division.
There are 16 complainants in the case and they were all allocated residential stands measuring between 1 000 to 4 000 square metres in Ridgeview, Belvedere, Harare.
Chitanga is the director of Brickstone Builders and Contractors (Pvt) Limited when the offense was committed.
Allegations are that Chitanga came up with a plan to defraud unsuspecting desperate home seekers of their cash in April 2022.
Pursuant to her plan, she unlawfully trespassed into a piece of land, Stand 19156 Salisbury Township Lands (Municipal Plot) Registered Under Deed Grant No 10907, and also known as stands 18991-19042 Belvedere Township belonging to the City of Harare.
During that same month, she allegedly subdivided Council land into residential stands measuring between 1 000 to 4 000 square metres.
Chitanga entered into agreement with a developer to do road construction at the site and also gave them the mandate to sell the residential stands on behalf of Brickstone Builders and Contractors (Pvt) Limited.
The developer sold four residential stands and handed over all the money to Chitanga who drafted the agreements of sale.
She signed on behalf of the seller and four complainants signed on behalf of the buyers.
During that same period, Chitanga sold twelve more residential stands and drafted agreements of sale and signed on behalf of the seller while the complainants signed on behalf of the buyers.
The complainants constructed some houses on the residential stands which were demolished by the City of Harare after being told that they had trespassed into Council land.
Efforts to engage Chitanga were fruitless.
The complainants lost US$345 000 and nothing was recovered.
In the second count, Chitanga allegedly connived with Mabeka and deceived 16 complainants into purchasing stands with US$74,000.
The structures the complainants had erected were later destroyed by the City of Harare.
