Story by Vongai Masuka
The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) has arrested Gerald Mangwiro on three counts of fraud and two counts of forgery over the alleged illegal sale of residential stands in Harare, prejudicing two home seekers of a combined US$4,580.
ZACC alleges that between August 2023 and July 2026, Mangwiro misrepresented to Rongedzai Kutsapede that he could help him purchase a residential stand from the City of Harare.
He allegedly produced fake layout plans and offer letters, and directed Kutsapede to deposit US$2,370 into a bank account he falsely claimed he belonged to the local authority.
Investigators say that between May and July 2026, Mangwiro deceived Kutsapede a second time, extracting a further US$1,130 he claimed was for group contributions, City of Harare waiting list fees and interview fees, despite knowing he had no authority to sell council stands.
In a third count, Mangwiro allegedly defrauded Kingstone Reza of US$1,080 after promising to facilitate the allocation of a genuine City of Harare stand and demanding payment for the stand and interview fees.
To cover his tracks, ZACC alleges, Mangwiro forged two City of Harare offer letters for Kutsapede and Reza on council letterhead, signing them in the name of the Director of Housing and Community Services and affixing fake council date stamps to make the documents appear authentic.
“He allegedly produced fake layout plans and offer letters, and directed the complainant to deposit US$2,370 into a bank account he falsely claimed belonged to the City of Harare. It is further alleged that between May and July 2026, the accused deceived the same complainant into paying a further US$1,130 for another residential stand, despite knowing that he was not authorised to sell stands on behalf of the City of Harare,” ZACC revealed in a statement.
Mangwiro appeared before the Harare Magistrates’ Court and was remanded to 28 August 2026 on US$200 bail.
The case adds to a growing list of land scams targeting desperate home seekers in Harare, where informal land barons and fraudsters continue to exploit the city’s housing waiting list.
