Two Men Arraigned Over US$92k Fraudulent Land Deal

Munyaradzi Mashiri

Zim Now Court Correspondent

Two men accused of impersonating Harare City Council officials and swindling US$92,000 in a fraudulent land deal have been arraigned before the Harare Magistrates' Courts.

Shadreck Dzapasi of Norton and Steady Munyoro of Chitungwiza appeared before Magistrate Apollonia Marutya on fraud charges. The court granted them US$250 bail each, and they are expected to return on January 17, 2025.

According to prosecutor Rufaro Chonzi, the complainant, Matthew Wheeler, sought to purchase residential land earlier this year. In January, he applied for land through the City of Harare’s Department of Housing and Community Service.

While following up on his application at the department’s Remembrance offices, Wheeler encountered Dzapasi, whom he knew from political circles. Dzapasi allegedly claimed that Munyoro was a City of Harare employee who could expedite the land acquisition process.

Dzapasi introduced Wheeler to Munyoro, who was reportedly wearing a white dust coat with "City of Harare" emblazoned on it. Munyoro, introducing himself as “Samuel Chakacha,” assured Wheeler he could fast-track the application and facilitate immediate land allocation.

The court heard that Munyoro collected Wheeler’s application letter and instructed him to make payments directly through him. Between June and October, Wheeler made multiple payments totaling US$92,000 to Dzapasi and Munyoro.

To make the scheme appear legitimate, Munyoro allegedly signed for the payments and issued fake City of Harare receipts as proof of transaction.

Wheeler later returned to the City of Harare offices to check on the status of his application, only to discover that his file was missing. Further inquiries revealed that Dzapasi and Munyoro were not employed by the council.

After realizing he had been defrauded, Wheeler attempted to recover his money but was unsuccessful. He subsequently filed a police report, leading to the arrest of the two accused.

The case continues.