US$300 Bail for Land Baron Behind Belvedere Housing Scandal
A land baron accused of orchestrating fraudulent property deals that led to the demolition of homes in Belvedere, Harare, has been released on US$300 bail.
He appeared before Harare magistrate Tapiwa Kuhudzai facing three counts of fraud.
The accused was not asked to plead and was ordered to surrender his travel documents, reside at his listed address, and report weekly to the CID Commercial Crimes Division.
The charges stem from a series of alleged land scams dating back to November 2022, when the accused was employed as a project manager at Brickstone Builders and Contractors.
Prosecutors say he misrepresented ownership of stand number 19019 Ridgeview, Belvedere—measuring 2,700 square metres as being registered under Brickstone Builders.
He allegedly instructed Charity Vambe, marketing manager at Chacco Development Holdings, to sell the stand for US$35,000 on his behalf.
One of the victims, Simbarashe Machisa, a soldier in the Zimbabwe National Army, reportedly paid US$2,000 in cash and handed over a Toyota Landcruiser valued at US$22,000 to Vambe.
He later added a Nissan Cabstar worth US$4,000, bringing his total payment to US$28,000.
The land baron allegedly drafted and signed an agreement of sale, and Machisa began construction of an eight-roomed cottage.
However, in 2023, Harare City Council demolished the structure, citing encroachment on council land.
Machisa suffered a total loss of US$28,000, with nothing recovered.
According to H-Metro, the same scheme was used to defraud Tafadzwa Learnmore Sithole, who paid US$19,450 for a stand in the same area.
Sithole drilled a borehole and built a four-roomed cottage, which was demolished in November last year by council officials for trespassing on municipal land.
Another complainant, Tobias Chisumbe, reportedly paid US$20,000 for a stand and constructed a four-bedroomed house.
His property was also demolished last November.
In all three cases, the victims were left with no compensation, and the stands were found to have been illegally sold.
