A ZANU PF councillor has been remanded in custody on a charge of fraudulently subdividing and selling land belonging to the late former Mines and Mining Development minister Amos Midzi’s estate.
Seke’s ward 11 councillor Patson Chipunza appeared in court yesterday before Harare Provincial magistrate Caroline Matanga.
It is the State’s case that in December 2002, the Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development ministry allocated Subdivision 1 of Earling Farm in Beatrice, measuring 347,50 hectares to Midzi.
When Midzi died, the farm was never reallocated to anyone hence it is part of his estate.
In December 2022, Chipunza fraudulently subdivided the farm and engaged an agent, Templeton Chadyiwa, to advertise the sale of the subdivided land.
In January 2023, the complainant, Phillip Chapfunga, who is a land developer, saw an advert and approached the agent.
Chapfunga was referred to Chipunza, who allegedly masqueraded as the village head and owner of the land. Acting on the misrepresentation, Chapfunga purchased a piece of land measuring 63 hectares for US$29 000 and made additional investment of US$41 000 in farm infrastructure.
The fraud was discovered by a co-executor of the estate, Chido Makazhu, who reported the matter to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc), leading to Chipunza’s arrest.
- Zanu PF cllr defrauds late minister’s estate
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Chipunza (39) was remanded in custody to June 20 for bail application.
Midzi was found dead at his Beatrice farm in June 2015 in what was believed to be suicide.
He is the third former Cabinet minister to commit suicide after veteran nationalist Maurice Nyagumbo, who died in 1989 and Edmund Garwe in 2001.
The late former ambassador was born on July 4, 1952.
He served in Cabinet successively as Energy and Power Development minister and Mines and Mining Development minister from 2002 to 2009.
In his last days, Midzi was under increasing pressure from his colleagues in the party who were pushing for his expulsion.
