ZANU PF Hurungwe East legislator Chenjerai Kangausaru was on Friday found guilty of using a fake offer letter to grab a farm.
The disputed Chitonga Farm in Hurungwe, measures 262 hectares.
Kangausaru now awaits sentencing after he was convicted by Karoi provincial magistrate Moreblessing Makati for the offence.
He was facing charges of violating section 3 (1) of the Gazetted Land (Consequential Provision) Act Chapter 20.28 referred to as occupation of gazetted land without lawful authority.
Prosecutor Progress Maponde told the court that Kangausaru unlawfully occupied Subdivision 1 of Chitonga farm in Tengwe sometime in November 2014.
The state represented by the Hurungwe District land office, was the complainant.
Tichafa Hebert Vincent Tendayi (54) who resides at sub-division 1 of Chitonga farm was the informant.
According to the state outline, the farm was allocated to two beneficiaries.
‘‘Tichafa Herbert Vincent Tendayi is one of the beneficiaries and a lawful occupier of sub-division 1 of Chitonga Farm, Tengwe, Hurungwe while one Dube is the second beneficiary,” the outline reads.
‘‘Kangausaru in his unlawful occupation of sub-division 1 of Chitonga farm, Tengwe, Hurungwe within Mashonaland West province does not hold any tenure document.
“The accused person has no legal right to act in the manner he did.
“The complainant has a valid offer letter that justifies his occupancy at the disputed piece of land.”
During trial, Kangausaru claimed in his defence that he had an offer letter from the Lands Ministry signed by former minister, Douglas Mombeshora in February of 2014.
He submitted two offer letters to the Hurungwe District Lands Committee which were issued by Mombeshora, but with different signatures.
“The ministry records show that you (Mr Tendayi) are still the beneficiary of subdivision 1 of Chitonga measuring 262 hectares in Hurungwe District.
“Your offer letter of 3 November 2014 was only withdrawn on 12 March 2015 to correct your initial and surname and a replacement offer letter was done on the same day.
“C. Kangausaru does not have an offer letter for subdivision 1 of Chitonga, according to ministry records,” said Mr Magauze, in a letter presented in court dated January 4, 2022 written to Tendayi.
On January 5, 2022 Kangausaru submitted a copy of the alleged forged offer letter that was certified by a commissioner of oaths, NM Mutsvairo, to the Karoi magistrates’ court in his supplementary affidavit.
But Makati found Kangausaru guilty of occupying the land using forged documents.
Kangausaru won the August elections where he beat Citizens Coalition for Change candidate, Blessing Mandava.