A HARARE woman, Rena Kunonga Sambaza, is embroiled in a legal dispute over allegations of fraudulently acquiring a residential stand in Harare’s Strathaven suburb and entering an exchange deal under questionable circumstances.
Sambaza allegedly conspired with City of Harare officials to illegally acquire Stand No 1081 Strathaven Township, measuring 756 square metres.
She then entered a land exchange agreement with Afrolink Sports Management, trading the Strathaven stand for Stand No 710/14 in The Grange, measuring 1 800 square metres, plus a top-up payment of US$34 000.
Afrolink is now suing to reverse the transaction citing fraud.
In a summons prepared by lawyer Harrison Nkomo of Mhishi, Nkomo Legal Practitioners, the company seeks the cancellation of the agreement.
Afrolink also seeks to recover The Grange stand (Certificate of Registered Title No 4211/2013, US$10 000 reimbursement for construction costs at Strathaven and eviction of Sambaza and any occupants from the Grange property.
According to court documents, after entering the deal, Afrolink secured a loan to develop the Strathaven stand, while Sambaza constructed a perimeter wall and drilled a borehole at The Grange property.
In November 2022, Afrolink was warned by unknown individuals against continuing work at the Strathaven stand, which was reportedly under dispute.
- Harare woman exposed in land deal
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When confronted, Sambaza assured the company that the property was legally acquired.
However, continued threats led Afrolink to investigate further.
“Upon further investigations, the plaintiff then discovered the following: That the Strathaven stand was fraudulently acquired by the defendant from representatives of the City of Harare;
“That, there is an agreement of sale dated October 22, 2018 entered into between the defendant and one Simango Thabitha, which shows that the defendant purchased the Strathaven stand from Simango at US$25 000, wherein the defendant tendered her motor vehicle, Toyota Fortuner, registration number ACR 7697 as a purchase price;
“That, there is an agreement of sale dated August 10, 2017, which shows that the defendant purchased the Strathaven stand from the City of Harare for US$8 690;
“That there is no way the defendant could have purchased the same property twice;
“That, there was a pending criminal matter undercover of case number CR 122/7/20 against the said representatives of City of Harare regarding the fraudulent sale of various stands, including the Strathaven stand; and
“That, the witness statement executed by the defendant in connection with the criminal case referred to in the preceding paragraph, particularly the issue of how she obtained the Strathaven stand, contradicts the documents at hand.”
Afrolink claimed in court papers that despite Sambaza’s knowledge of the fraudulent activities surrounding the Strathaven stand and without disclosing that material information to it, she proceeded to enter into a land exchange agreement.
It claimed that her intentions were to defraud it by acquiring a clean property, The Grange stand, in exchange for the Strathaven stand, which was allegedly fraudulently obtained, notwithstanding several discussions and demands, including the plaintiff’s.
