.… case sucks in Gutu RDC engineer
Precila Takabvirakare
MPANDAWANA – Businessman Christopher Munyaradzi last week appeared before magistrate Edwin Marecha facing charges of defrauding Ephraim Kwangwa of US$6 372 by selling him somebody else’s residential stand.
He was charged with fraud as defined in Section 136 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23.
The case sucks in Gutu Rural District Council engineer Vambai Shenjere whom the court, however, found to have no immediate case to answer.
Munyaradzi pleaded guilty to the charge and the case was moved to May 03 for continuation of trial.
It was the State’s case that on a date not known by the prosecutor but in the month of August 2017, Kwangwa approached Munyaradzi to tell him he wanted to swap his motor vehicle for a residential stand.
Munyaradzi agreed to enter into the deal and on August 31, 2017, Kwangwa requested that he be shown the stand.
Munyaradzi referred Kwangwa to Shenejere who took him to the stand in Old Location Extension Gutu.
After being shown the stand, Kwangwa and Munyaradzi made an agreement of sale affidavit that was commissioned by magistrate Marecha.
Kwangwa was then given a recommendation letter by Shenjere so that he could make his lease payments, and he made an initial payment of US$80 but later made the final payment of US$292.
The court heard that it was upon the payment of the last instalment for his lease when he was advised that the stand was already occupied by Josiah Matanga.
Investigations were made into the matter and it was established that the stand never belonged to the accused person but to Matanga whose name also appeared on the lease register.
The revelations led to the arrest of Munyaradzi.
Millicent Azangwe prosecuted.
