ChiTown councillor arrested for selling non-existent stand

AN MDC Alliance councillor for Chitungwiza appeared at the Harare Magistrates Court yesterday facing fraud charges after selling a nonexistent residential stand to a unsuspecting homeseeker.

Darlington Musonza appeared before magistrate Stanford Mambanje who remanded him to September 30 on $20 000 bail.

Musonza, who was represented by Lorretta Makumbe, is councillor for ward 12 in Chitungwiza.

Allegations are that sometime in 2017, the complainant Kudakwashe Chatima approached a Chitungwiza-based real estate agent Vincent Tom-Barris intending to buy a residential stand.

A few days later, Tom-Barris advised Chatima that Musonza was selling residential stands in Chitungwiza.

Tom-Barris then introduced Chatima to Musonza, who indicated that there was a stand, number 14557 in Zengeza 3 Extension, on sale.

It is alleged that Chatima showed interest in the stand and agreed to purchase it for US$3 800.

On March 13, 2017, Chatima made a payment of US$3 230 through a bank transfer from his CABS bank account to Musonza’s Steward Bank account.

Chatima made a further cash payment of US$570 to Musonza to reach the agreed purchase price.

After receiving full payment, Musonza and Chatima then signed an agreement of sale.

The complainant was then given an allocation letter with a letterhead from Cone Textiles Housing Co-operative by Musonza and was advised to proceed to Chitungwiza Municipality offices to process change of ownership.

However, the Chitungwiza housing director could not locate the file records for the stand.

Chatima then made a report at the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission and investigations revealed that the stand number 14557 was an open space and not for residential purposes. As a result of Musonza’s misrepresentation, Chatima lost US$3 800.