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Court Reporter
An 80-year-old man accused of forging documents of another person’s residential stand before swindling an unsuspecting home-seeker of $23 000 yesterday told the court that he was tricked by two conmen.

The octogenarian Xevario Dzinowanda, in his defence, said the two men, he could not identify, lured him into a project to build an old people’s home in Kwekwe.

“They took me to Kwekwe and gave me a cellphone which they said I was to communicate with the donor of the project,” he said.

“They dropped me and a woman who was in their company after indicating that they were going to the site. Later the donor called me and we met. He gave me $7 000 after making me sign papers which I don’t know.

“After he was gone, the two men picked us and I surrendered the money. They said I was to benefit later.”

The prosecutor Mr Progress Maringamoyo called the owner of the Bluffhill stand in Harare Mr Wilson Jawonda, which Dzinowanda allegedly sold.

Mr Jawonda told the court that he neither sold his stand nor instructed anyone to sell it on his behalf.

During cross-examination, Dzinowanda said he had no questions because he neither knew the witness nor opposed what he said.

Jawonda pleaded with the court to clear his name because Dzinowanda was masquerading as him.

The complainant is Tinashe Kembo of Westgate in Harare. The court heard that Dzinowanda from Jaure Village, Seke, placed an advert in a local newspaper under the name of Jawonda pretending that he was selling stand No. 1810 Bluffhill, Harare.

Dzinowanda and Kembo agreed to do a deeds search before payment for the stand. Nothing was amiss at the deeds office and the parties agreed to draft an agreement of sale.

Kembo paid $23 000 in three instalments through Dube Manikai and Hwacha FBC trust funds account.

The court heard that on June 27, Kembo and his wife went to Kwekwe where he met Dzinowanda and paid another $7 000. He was given a copy of the title deeds, it is alleged. It was agreed that Kembo was to pay off the balance in 30 days. On August 19 Kembo and Dzinowanda went to Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) offices for interviews.

After the interview Kembo instructed his lawyer to pay Dzinowanda $16 000 because registration of the stand was imminent.

Kembo later realised that he had been duped and he lost $23 000.