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Yeukai Karengezeka

Court Correspondent

Harare regional magistrate Mrs Marehwanazvo Gofa has removed from remand a Kadoma businessman accused of stealing land and property through numerous fake companies he created.

The development comes after Believe Guta (36) of Coal Estate Company had made an application refusing further remand citing that the State had taken over a year to complete its investigations.

Guta was represented by his lawyer Professor Lovemore Madhuku who also argued that the State had taken too long to give his client a trial date.

The State alleged that in 1997, Balwearie Holdings applied to the Kadoma Municipality for the subdivision of a 970 653-hectare stand in Sabonabona Estate to create agro-residential stands.

After obtaining the subdivision permit, the company entered into an agreement of sale with one Edmore Samson which stated that Balwearie Holdings would sell the land for US$91 000 which was payable in instalments.

The instalments were expected to be paid through a company called Parameter Investments (Pvt) Ltd, but the contract was cancelled in 2002.

The court heard that at the time the contract was cancelled, 69 home seekers had acquired stands through Parameter Investments and they subsequently remained on the land while awaiting regularisation of their agreements of sale.

The State further alleged that Guta and his accomplices, who are still unknown and at large, approached the Registrar of Companies in June 2020 and successfully registered a company which they named Balwearie Holdings (Private) Limited.

They allegedly approached the High Court seeking an order to declare that the original company Balwearie Holdings (1977) dissolved, and the new company named as Balwearie Holdings (Pvt) Ltd as the legitimate owner of Sabonabona Estate.