HARARE magistrate Ethel Chichera has sentenced Prosper Biziweki (48) to three years imprisonment after convicting him of forging the title deed of former Cabinet minister Dzingai Mutumbuka’s house which was fraudulently sold in June 2021.
Chichera slapped Biziweki with a three-year jail term and suspended one year on conditions of good behaviour hence he will serve an effective two-year jail term.
She, however, acquitted Tatenda Wakatama on the ground that he only flighted an advert for the sale of the house.
The magistrate, however, lambasted police for excluding several key suspects whom she said should have been arrested for the offence.
She ruled that the forgery and illegal sale of the house was done by a syndicate and most of its members were turned into State witnesses by the police.
Chichera said one Lynna Mlambo stole Mutumbuka’s title deed from the Deeds Office where she worked as a supervisor but was brought in as a State witness by investigating officer Tafadzwa Marashe.
The police could not account for Jonah Ngome who sold Mutumbuka’s house and in whose name the forged title deed was.
It was the State’s case that in June 2021, Wakatama, Biziweki and Ngome stole from Mutumbuka when they forged the title deed for his house.
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The two pulled the original title deed for house number 90 Harare Drive in Chisipite, Harare and allegedly created a counterfeit in Ngome’s name.
The two advertised the house on various social media platforms using the counterfeit title deed.
Harrison Marange proposed to buy the property, with Kenias Mutyisira facilitating an agreement of sale.
The two parties settled for a purchase price of US$140 000 for the property and payment was broken down to US$90 000 deposit and US$50 000 to be paid after registration and transfer of the property.
Marange paid Ngome US$45 000 in September 2021 as part of deposit, while the other US$45 000 was to be paid in October of the same year.
The transaction was, however, intercepted by the police after Mangwere from the Registrar Office confirmed that the title deed in Ngome’s name was fake.
