A KADOMA-BASED businessman has been arrested for allegedly stealing land and property through numerous fake companies he created.
Believe Guta (36) of Coal Estate, Kadoma, was arraigned before Harare magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa on Monday this week.
Guta, who was being represented Lovemore Madhuku, was remanded in custody while awaiting ruling on a remand placement application submitted by his lawyer.
Prosecutor Lancelot Mutsokoti said in 1997, Balwearie applied to the Kadoma Municipality for the subdivision of a 970 653 hectare stand in Sabonabona Estate to create agro-residential stands.
After obtaining the subdivision permit, the company entered into an agreement of sale with one Edmore Samson which stated that Balwearie Holdings would sell the land for US$91 000 which was payable in instalments.
The instalments were expected to be paid through a company called Parameter Investments (Pvt) Ltd, but the contract was cancelled in 2002. The court heard that at the time the contract was cancelled, 69 homeseekers had acquired stands through Parameter Investments and they subsequently remained on the land while awaiting regularisation of their agreements of sale.
Mutsokoti told the court that Guta and his accomplices, who are still unknown and at large, approached the Registrar of Companies in June 2020 and successfully registered a company which they named Balwearie Holdings (Private) Limited.
They allegedly approached the High Court seeking an order to declare that the original company Balwearie Holdings (1977) dissolved, and the new company named as Balwearie Holdings (Pvt) Ltd as the legitimate owner of Sabonabona Estate.
Source Newsday
