FBC Exec Sued as City of Harare Land Deal Sparks F...

FBC Exec Sued as City of Harare Land Deal Sparks Fraud Allegations

A senior executive at FBC Bank, Rena Kunonga Sambaza, is facing a legal battle after allegedly acquiring a residential stand in Strathaven through fraudulent means and using it in a shady land exchange deal.

According to court documents, Sambaza is accused of colluding with City of Harare officials to obtain Stand No. 1081 Strathaven Township, measuring 756 square metres, under questionable circumstances.

She then entered a high-value swap with Afrolink Sports Management, exchanging the disputed Strathaven property for a significantly larger Stand No. 710/14 in The Grange, measuring 1,800 square metres—plus a cash top-up of US$34,000.

Now, Afrolink is suing to reverse the deal, alleging fraud and non-disclosure of critical information. The company, represented by lawyer Harrison Nkomo of Mhishi, Nkomo Legal Practitioners, is demanding:

Cancellation of the land swap agreement
Repossession of The Grange stand (Title No. 4211/2013)
Reimbursement of US$10,000 in development costs at Strathaven
Eviction of Sambaza and any occupants from The Grange property

The dispute deepened when Afrolink, after securing a loan to develop the Strathaven stand, was warned off the site by unknown individuals in November 2022. Though Sambaza assured them everything was above board, further investigations uncovered red flags.

Court filings reveal a murky paper trail:

A 2017 agreement shows Sambaza purchased the Strathaven stand from the City of Harare for US$8,690
A 2018 deal shows her “buying” the same stand again from a Thabitha Simango for US$25,000, paid via a Toyota Fortuner
The stand is allegedly linked to a pending criminal case CR 122/7/20 involving fraudulent land sales by City officials
Sambaza’s witness statement in that criminal matter reportedly contradicts her own sale documents

Afrolink contends that Sambaza knowingly concealed the fraud surrounding the Strathaven stand and entered the exchange deal in bad faith. “Her intention was to acquire a clean, high-value property in The Grange by offloading a disputed stand,” the company argues.