Munyaradzi Mashiri – Court Correspondent
A 28-year-old Aspindale woman has been arrested for conspiring with her husband to defraud more than 300 families in a bogus housing project.
Hazel Tanyanyiwa appeared at the Harare Magistrates' Courts on fraud charges and is expected to return to court on June 24.
According to the State, Tanyanyiwa’s husband, Tawanda Zeze—who is still on the run—allegedly masterminded the scam, which began in 2016. He is accused of misrepresenting to members of the public that he had access to donor-funded low-income housing stands in Harare West.
Zeze is said to have formed a trust called More Than Conquerors Trust and, in collaboration with Tanyanyiwa, Emily Jiri, Gladys Jiri, and Natasha Mutambirwa (who are already on remand), marketed the fake project to unsuspecting victims.
The group reportedly targeted churches and high-density suburbs, claiming MTCT was offering low-income earners housing for US$35,000. Prospective beneficiaries were asked to pay an upfront fee of US$5,250—15% of the total cost—to secure their place in the scheme, followed by monthly subscription payments.
Payments were received by Emily and Gladys Jiri, who completed shelter forms for applicants, while Tanyanyiwa and Mutambirwa collected the money, which was then shared among the co-accused.
In 2022, the group took complainants on site visits to Nyabira and Mt Hampden, where they were shown land and infrastructure supposedly under development by Leengate Pvt Ltd. They were even shown sample houses and boreholes, with promises that allocations would be made by June 2023.
Further assurances were given after the August 2023 general elections, with Zeze claiming MTCT had completed cluster homes and was waiting to host a donor handover ceremony.
However, after months of inquiries from beneficiaries, Zeze became evasive and even removed some complainants from MTCT WhatsApp groups. This led victims to report the matter to authorities.
In March, the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission obtained a warrant to search MTCT offices at Century Mall, where they recovered shelter forms and receipt books documenting over 300 victims.
By early May, ZACC discovered the operation had shifted to Merchant House. On May 8, officers arrested Emily Jiri, Gladys Jiri, and Mutambirwa at the new offices, finding them in possession of further documentation. Tanyanyiwa and Zeze fled the scene upon the officers' arrival.
Investigations revealed that MTCT was never allocated land in Harare West by the City of Harare, Zvimba Rural District Council, or the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works.
Tanyanyiwa was eventually arrested in Epworth on May 12. So far, only 19 complainants have formally reported their losses, which total US$42 546.
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