A Chitungwiza man faces fraud charges for allegedly conning a home seeker out of $20,000 by selling him a stand that belonged to someone else.
Tendai Desmond Zhakata, 43, appeared in court this week over the scam. He remains in custody while the court considers bail.
Prosecutors say Zhakata placed an ad claiming he owned Stand 13720 Belvedere valued at $35,000. Zakariya Sapa responded saying he wanted to buy it. Zhakata, using the name Lawrence Mukumborenga who actually owns the property, confirmed the sale.
He asked for a $20,000 deposit upon signing an agreement of sale. The remaining $15,000 would be paid in instalments – $10,000 after obtaining tax clearance and the final $5,000 over 10 months in $500 monthly payments from July.
Sapa agreed and hired a lawyer who discovered the title deeds were in Mukumborenga’s name.
The two men met on June 22 with Zhakata providing ID papers and title deeds in Mukumborenga’s name. Sapa paid the $20,000 deposit and they signed the agreement.
Zhakata became evasive after that, prompting Sapa to report the scam to police who arrested Zhakata.
He now faces fraud charges for swindling the home seeker out of $20,000 in the fake stand sale. Zhakata remains behind bars awaiting the court’s bail decision.
