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Fungai Lupande Court Reporter
A Harare City Council official and three others appeared in court yesterday for swindling Budiriro 5A home-seekers of $200 000, as more land barons are arraigned before the courts.

City employee Denis Marume (45), Rachel Kupangwa (50), Mary Siduna (46) and Joyce Zarura (49) appeared before magistrate Mr Elijah Makomo.

They are facing fraud charges and Mr Makomo released the quartet on $500 bail each.

As part of their bail conditions they were ordered to stay at their given addresses, report every Friday at CID Law and Order and not to interfere with witnesses.

Prosecuting Ms Sharon Mashavira alleged that in March 2012 the quartet formed Hannah Housing Co-operative in Budiriro 5A.

The court heard that Marume was appointed the technical advisor while Kupangwa was the vice-chairperson and Siduna and Zarura were appointed committee members.

It is alleged that on March 10, 2012 the quartet registered their co-operative with the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises and were issued with a certificate of registration.

On November 17, last year the co-operative applied to Harare City Council for land in Budiriro 3 which they had identified for the purposes of developing residential stands.

The quartet misrepresented to 271 co-operative members that they had been allocated the land by the council.

Acting on the misrepresentation the members paid $24 joining fee and $111 monthly subscriptions. The quartet constructed an office on the land without an offer letter from council authorising occupation of the land.

Home-seekers lost $200 000 and nothing was recovered.