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Tendai Rupapa Senior Court Reporter
A Harare woman who misrepresented to a home-seeker that she was the legitimate owner of a stand in Bluff Hill and forged a deed of transfer before swindling the prospective buyer of $20 000, has been slapped with a 3-year prison term.

Marvelous Culvate (36) of 6450 Manyame Park, Chitungwiza, will serve six months effective after part of the prison term was set aside on condition of paying back the money and good behaviour.

Of the three years, magistrate Mr Tendai Mahwe, suspended two years on condition Culvate pays back $20 000 to Levionch Sidina on or before July 31.

Six months were further set aside on condition of good behaviour.

However, failure to pay back the money, Culvate will spend two years and six months in prison.

Culvate, in connivance with her two accomplices who are still at large, misrepresented to Mr Levionch Sidina that she was selling the stand for $25 000 and after receiving $20 000, she then vanished.

Culvate used a fake passport to dupe Sidina.

She manufactured a passport which was in the name of Elizabeth Kaswa, the owner of the stand and put her face on it.

In passing sentence, Mr Mahwe said, “The way you committed the offence shows a lot of planning. You forged the title deeds and manufactured a passport with your face. A deterrent sentence needs to be passed so that you will know that crime does not pay.”

On April 7, Mr Sidina saw an advertisement for a residential stand in a newspaper and responded.

According to the advert, the stand which is in Bluff Hill, Harare was being sold for $25 000 and he called the number given.

The owner of the number introduced himself as Mr Kaswa who claimed to be the brother of the owner of the stand who in this case was said to be Culvate.

‘Mr Kaswa’ gave Mr Sidina the full address of the stand and he went to view it.

On April 10, Mr Sidina was given a copy of the deed of transfer by a man identified as Leonard who was masquerading as Culvate’s agent.

On April 11, the complainant and the purported agent proceeded to Chivhu to meet Culvate and Mr Sidina entered into an agreement of sale with her.

After signing the agreement of sale, Mr Sidina gave Culvate $20 000 cash and agreed the balance of $5 000 was to be paid in instalments.

After some days, Mr Sidina tried to contact the gang for them to finalise the deal, but to no avail.

He took the copy of the deed of transfer to the Registrar of Deeds office for verification and was advised that it was fake.