Police have arrested a Harare City Council senior official and two others for allegedly orchestrating a plan to unlawfully acquire derelict land worth US$400 000.
Felix Chisango (48), Abel Zhawao (50) and Conwell Mutevhe (38) were released on US$150 bail each after appearing before Harare regional magistrate Taurai Manuwere yesterday.
The trio will return to court on June 28 for routine remand pending finalisation of investigations.
Chisango is employed as a chief clerical officer in the council’s finance department, while Zhuwao is the director of Greenway Multiple Agency (Pvt) Ltd.
Mutevhe is a legal practitioner and managing partner at MC Mukome Legal Practitioners in Harare.
Prosecutor Anesu Chirenje said sometime in 2018, Lusitania Primary School in Harare identified stands 314 and 315 Athlone Township of Lot 2A Greengrove, Harare, as derelict land.
She said the process was handled through Cannan Mugiyi, a consultant and town planner on the land that had been abandoned by United Services Club.
Chirenje told the court that rates were not being paid for more than 20 years, adding that a caveat had been placed on the property by the court stating that the land could not be disposed of without the knowledge of the municipality.
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Lusitania Primary School wanted City of Harare to invoke the Derelict Land Act and Title Registration Act so that it could legally acquire title to the land.
Mugiyi, acting on behalf of the school, engaged council about his intention to acquire the derelict land since his client wanted to construct a high school on the stands.
It is alleged that Chisango got information about the derelict land when the council valuation department wrote to the chamber secretary requesting to proceed in terms of Title Registration and Derelict Land Act.
Chisango allegedly engaged Zhawao to fraudulently acquire the property before the latter assigned Mutevhe to apply for registration of title.
Mutevhe is alleged to have prepared a High Court application representing Greenway Multiple Agency purporting that the land in question was legally acquired from United Services Club sometime in 2008.
To cover up for the misrepresentation, it is alleged that the three attached a fake agreement of sale, which purported to have been entered into between Greenway Multiple Agency and United Service Club.
The court further heard that the trio allegedly forged the signature of Amos Kanyongo, who is also a director of Greenway Multiple Agency.
In the High Court application, a founding affidavit was attached purportedly deposed by Kanyongo and his signature was also used.
Mutevhe allegedly prepared the application, and instead of using his name, he inserted the details of Mabasa Crispen Mukome, a senior partner at his firm.
He allegedly went on to forge Mukome’s signatures on all the court papers while using fake company references on the documents.
Mutevhe also reportedly coerced Tawanda Gondo, a messenger at MC Mukome Legal Practitioners, to misrepresent that he had served Brighton Vito, a purported United Service Club representative.
It is further alleged that the trio forged an agreement of sale for the land and acting upon the misrepresentation, the High Court granted the order for change of title.
Zhuwao allegedly rewarded Chisango by appointing him a director at Greenway Multiple Agency.
The trio went on to sell the land to Referral Enterprises (Pvt) Ltd for US$400 000 and the proceeds were shared among themselves.
