Land baron faces more probe

Source: Land baron faces more probe | The Herald

Felix Munyaradzi

Crime Reporter

Accused land baron Felix Munyaradzi, facing charges over land dealings in Zvimba and who was arrested early this year on charges of attempting to defeat the course of justice and interfering with a State witness, is facing fresh charges of duping a Harare businessman of an industrial stand in exchange of a latest Mercedes Benz.

Munyaradzi and his firm, Delatfin Investments, was recently under investigation for also allegedly duping several people in Gutu and other areas of thousands of US dollars in botched car deals.

By then, it was alleged that in the last few years, Munyaradzi went to his rural home in Gutu where he allegedly took payment in money and cattle, 12 to 20 head, for used cars he was sourcing outside the country but that he never delivered the vehicles or refunded the money, although other vehicles paid for were delivered.

On the new charge, Munyaradzi, was allegedly given a Mercedes Benz E220d premium plus by the businessman, Mr Denford Jiro, in November last year on the pretext that he was going to get four residential stands in Arlington, Harare, but never delivered.

It is alleged that Munyaradzi later offered Jiro the industrial stand Sandton (Mt Hampden) which was later found out that it belonged to another businessman, Mr Martin Manduna.

A report was then made to the police and the matter is set to appear in court on September 16.

A statement made to the police by Mr Jiro reads, “On the 28th of November 2020 I gave Felix Munyaradzi the latest new shape of a Mercedes Benz E220d Premium Plus which I had just imported from the UK on the promise that he would give me four Arlington stands within the week.

“A month passed with promise after promise, but no stands until I gave him the option to return the car at which point he told me he had sold it.

“He then offered me an industrial stand measuring 4 012sqm at Number 445 in Sandton and told me it had no issues. I went to have a look at it and I was satisfied with its location and I accepted it and he instructed Amos Vhori, his administrator to draft the paperwork and I was given the stand on the 4th of January 2021.

“I went ahead and put it on the market. A local property firm found me a buyer. They did their due diligence and got confirmation from Delatfin Investments that the stand was indeed mine and proceeded to give me a deposit of US$45 000 with the buyer promising to complete payment within a month.

“The real owner, Martin Manduna, stumbled upon the agent’s advertisement online and approached the agents with his title deed. It was then that we realised that I had been duped. It was then that I reported the matter to the police.”

Police are still investigating the matter.

Munyaradzi is already facing land dealings charges in Zvimba and was also recently arrested on charges of attempting to defeat the course of justice and interfering with a State witness.

Circumstances leading to Munyaradzi’s arrest were that during 2015, his firm Delatfin Investments, entered into a swap deal with Mr Delish Nguwaya for the sale of stands in exchange for a Toyota Prado.

Delatfin Investments sold three residential stands — 1572, 1516 and 1471 — in Sandton Park in Mt Hampden, worth US$50 000 and Mr Nguwaya surrendered the Prado and an agreement of sale was signed on February 2, 2018.

It is alleged that Munyaradzi went on to sell the stands to other people, and when Mr Nguwaya complained, he agreed to compensate him with eight smaller stands in Sandton Park.

But then, Munyaradzi allegedly went on to sell one of the stands to Tawanda Mashumba for US$30 000.

It is the State’s case that Mr Nguwaya was aware that the stand in question had already been sold, and he lost US$15 000 in the process.

On April 20, 2015, Delatfin Investments was offered 120 hectares of State lan.