Sinokubonga Nkala
Trish Mukwazo, trishmukwazo515@gmail.com
SERIAL Bulawayo-based housing fraudster Elliot Mharadze who had been on the run for five years after defrauding eight victims of more than US$56 445 and R664 000 six years ago has been convicted.
Mharadze (42) of Bulawayo was convicted of eight counts of fraud by Bulawayo regional magistrate Ms Benhilda Chiwundura. He was remanded in custody to today for sentencing.
Through his lawyer, Mr Tinashe Runganga, who had initially denied charges, altered his plea and to guilty after the State had led three witnesses. Initially, Mharadze, a director of the now-defunct Exceed Construction, was arrested on 19 counts of fraud.
“Mharadze is accordingly found guilty together with his company, Exceed Construction Private Limited which is now defunct,” ruled Ms Chiwundura.
According to court documents Mharadze duped his niece of US$9 700 for a stand and US$2 400 to construct a housing structure up to the foundation level.
Mharadze had been on the run for almost five years. Prosecuting, Ms Siphiwe Mhlanga said between 2018 and 2019, Mharadze duped several home seekers of various amounts of money in fake housing deals. Mharadze duped his victims using the same modus operandi, where he would trick them into believing that he was a registered land developer and also owned houses. Upon payment of money for residential stands by the victims he disappeared.
The court heard that Mharadze mainly targeted diasporans.
Prosecuting, Ms Siphiwe Mhlanga said Ms Phepelaphi Dube, one of the complainants paid Mharadze US$10 205 for a two-roomed semi-finished house in Pumula South suburb, Bulawayo, which belonged to someone else.
Ms Dube was issued a receipt and after 21 days, she made a follow-up and discovered that someone else was in occupation of the house and she made a report to the police.
Another victim, Ms Mumo Ncube, approached Mharadze intending to buy a two-roomed house in Pelandaba West.
She was instructed to pay ZWL9 300 and R50 000 over 18 months in instalments. The court heard that Mharadze did not build the house for the victim as agreed.
Sometime in August 2018, another victim, Ms Tackler Gumbo, who is based in South Africa, came to Zimbabwe intending to purchase a residential stand and she approached Mharadze on August 23, 2018.
“She later discovered that the stand belonged to someone else registered with the City of Bulawayo. The victim suffered an actual prejudice of R160 000 and nothing was recovered,” she said.
Tafara Dube, who works in South Africa, also fell victim after approaching Mharadze on November 21, 2018, looking for a house to buy.
“Three years later, the victim was advised by his tenants that someone was claiming ownership of the house prompting him to report a case of fraud to the police. During investigations, it was discovered that the house belonged to someone else. The victim suffered an actual prejudice of R205 000 and nothing was recovered,” said Ms Mhlanga.
The court heard that sometime in 2018 another victim was scammed of US$
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