Harare administrative chief arrested

Police have arrested a senior Harare City Council official and two others for allegedly orchestrating a scheme to illegally acquire abandoned land worth US$400,000.

Felix Chisango (48), Abel Zhawao (50) and Conwell Mutevhe (38) were released on $150 bail each after appearing before Harare Regional Magistrate Taurai Manuwere yesterday.

The trio will return to court on June 28 to remain on routine remand pending the completion of investigations.

Chisango works as managing director in the council’s finance department, while Zhuwao is the director of Greenway Multiple Agency (Pvt) Ltd.

Mutevhe is a lawyer and managing partner of MC Mukome Legal Practitioners in Harare.

Prosecutor Anesu Chirenje said that sometime in 2018, Lusitania Primary School in Harare identified Athlone Municipality stalls 314 and 315 of Lot 2A Greengrove, Harare, as abandoned land.

He said the process was handled through Cannan Mugiyi, a consultant and town planner on the land that had been abandoned by United Services Club.

Chirenje told the court that the rates had not been paid for more than 20 years, adding that the court had put a warning on the property stating that the land could not be disposed of without the knowledge of the municipality.

Lusitania Primary School wanted the City of Harare to invoke the Abandoned Lands Act and the Registration of Titles Act in order to legally acquire title to the land.

Mugiyi, acting on behalf of the school, informed the council of his intention to acquire the abandoned land as his client wanted to build a secondary school on the steps.

Chisango is alleged to have obtained information about the abandoned lands when the council’s valuation department wrote to the clerk of the chamber requesting to proceed in terms of the Abandoned Lands and Titles Registration Act.

Chisango allegedly hired Zhawao to fraudulently acquire the property before the latter assigned Mutevhe to apply for registration of the title.

Mutevhe is alleged to have prepared an application to the High Court on behalf of Greenway Multiple Agency, claiming that the land in question was legally acquired from United Services Club sometime in 2008.

To cover up the misrepresentation, the three are alleged to have attached a false sales agreement, which had purportedly been entered into between Greenway Multiple Agency and United Service Club.

The court further heard that the trio allegedly forged the signature of Amos Kanyongo, who is also a director of Greenway Multiple Agency.

In the High Court application, a founding affidavit purportedly deposed by Kanyongo was attached and his signature was also used.

Mutevhe allegedly prepared the application and, instead of using his name, inserted the details of Mabasa Crispen Mukome, a senior partner in his company.

He allegedly forged Mukome’s signatures on all court documents and used false company references in the documents.

Mutevhe also reportedly forced Tawanda Gondo, a courier for MC Mukome Legal Practitioners, to misrepresent that he had served Brighton Vito, a purported representative of the United Service Club.

It is further alleged that the trio forged a sale agreement for the land and based on the misrepresentation, the High Court granted the change of title order.

Zhuwao allegedly rewarded Chisango by appointing him director of Greenway Multiple Agency.

The trio sold the land to Referral Enterprises (Pvt) Ltd for US$400,000 and the proceeds were shared between them.