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Sheillah Mapani  Herald Reporter
A 71-year-old Kambuzuma man has been left homeless after his son sold his house without his consent. Tichafa Mbiriyakura (55) appeared before Harare magistrate Ms Barbra Mateko facing charges of fraud.

He was remanded to Thursday on $200 bail. The prosecutor Ms Naume Chinengundu alleged that sometime in the 1990s Tichafa approached his father, Enock Mbiriyakura and requested to register his house, which had no title deeds in his name.

It is alleged that he misrepresented to his father that he would use the house as collateral to borrow cash from CABS only and effect deed of transfer back into Enock’s name. His father agreed and Tichafa obtained deeds for house number 709 Porti Road in Kambuzuma in his name.

The court heard that Tichafa took a loan from CABS using the house as collateral. He later repaid the loan. His father did not bother to ask Tichafa to change the ownership of the house back into his name.

It is the State’s case that Tichafa went on to use the title deeds again to borrow from Trade and Finance without his father’s knowledge. This time, he failed to pay back the loan.

It is alleged that his father only got to know of it when he was approached by one Fortunate Chikamhi, who had bought the house after it was auctioned by Trade and Finance. The lending institution had obtained a writ of execution.

The court further heard that the father was later served with notice of eviction by the Sheriff. He was later evicted from his house in April this year.

Tichafa’s father was prejudiced of $40 000, the estimated value of the house.