Deregistered lawyer dupes woman of $26 000

Fungai Lupande Senior Court Reporter
A Norton woman lost $26 000 to a deregistered lawyer, Tichaona Mawere, who never attended any court session and always left her outside the court premises.

The woman whose name was not mentioned in court, realised that she was duped after her house and property was advertised in a local newspaper by a micro-finance company claiming she had failed to clear a debt.

Mawere was issued with a warrant of arrest on Wednesday after he failed to turn up for the case. Mawere of Goodhope, Westgate, Harare, was deregistered by the Law Society of Zimbabwe in 2012. He is facing fraud charges.

The prosecutor Ms Linda Gadzikwa is alleging that sometime in 2010, the farmer borrowed $3 000 from Yambukai micro-finance.

It is alleged that she repaid the money in full, but received a notice in 2012 of intention to attach her property on allegations of failing to repay the loan.

It is alleged that the farmer approached Mushangwe and Associates for representation in the matter. Mawere who was eavesdropping on the conversation later approached the farmer promising to help her. He misrepresented that he was a practicing lawyer and was in a position to represent her provided that she pays $26 000 as legal fees.

It is alleged that the farmer approached her church the United Family International Church led by Prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa for assistance with the legal fees and was given the $26 000.

She gave the money to Mawere, the court heard.

It is alleged that the farmer also gave all the receipts she had been issued after paying at Yambukai to Mawere as proof that she cleared the debt.

It is alleged that sometime in March 2016 and on different occasions Mawere, took the complainant to Harare Civil Court purporting that he was representing her.

The court heard that Mawere never represented the woman and never attended any court session. He always left the complainant outside the court premises and would later tell her to go home.

The offence came to light on July 11, 2014 when the complainant saw an advert in a local newspaper where Yambukai micro-finance was advertising her house and property.

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