Zanu PF activist ditched by lawyer

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A ZANU PF activist from Insiza charged for illegally selling rural resettlement land has been dumped by his lawyer.

A ZANU PF activist from Insiza charged for illegally selling rural resettlement land has been dumped by his lawyer.

BY SILAS NKALA

This happened on Wednesday when the suspect Clifford Chifadze Machona’s lawyer Gift Nyathi did not show up for his defence case.

Nyathi never notified the State on why he was not present prompting the magistrate to rule the case should go on in the lawyer’s absence.

Machona (61) who is also a chairperson for Ward 22, allegedly sold rural stands at between $300 and $500 to Lochard, Insiza, villagers and pocketed the proceeds.

However, he denied the charge when he appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Merilyn Mutshina.

Last Thursday his application for discharge was dismissed after the State insisted that he had a case to answer.

In his defence, Machona said he never sold any land and the money involved in the issue was not for the land, but for a different issue and there was no proof that the money was for purchasing land.

The magistrate remanded the case to July 13 for judgment.

State allegations were that on April 2 2012, Zenzo Tshabangu of Lochard Resettlement area allegedly went to Machona looking for a stand for his brother.

Machona allegedly demanded $500 purportedly for processing documents and registration of the stand at Insiza Rural District Council.

Tshabangu paid $300 and Machona showed him a piece of land.

Tshabangu cleared the land and built a hut.

Machona allegedly later destroyed Tshabangu’s structures and allocated the plot to another person promising to reimburse Tshabangu’s money.

Another villager, Moses Moyo, on June 2013, went to Machona looking for three stands for relatives.

Machona allegedly demanded $600 purportedly required to process documentation and registration of the stands.

Moyo paid $1 800 for three stands to Machona who showed him the pieces of land.

In September 2013, Moyo and relatives went to the stands to develop them, but discovered they were already being developed.

Moyo demanded his money back and Machona paid back $180, promising to pay the balance later but never did so. Moyo was prejudiced of $1 800. Only $180 was recovered.

The alleged victims reported the matter to police, leading to Machona’s arrest.