Warrant of arrest for Harare businessman

A local businessman, Tendai Jemwa, has been issued with a warrant of arrest after failing to appear in court for judgment in a ZWL$29 million property dispute involving his brother-in-law.

Francis Mapfumo, a regional magistrate in Harare, issued the warrant after Jemwa did not attend proceedings in a matter where he is accused of unlawfully sidelining his business partner, Thomas Masango.

The State, represented by prosecutor Ephraim Zinyandu, alleges that Masango and Jemwa had agreed that Masango would hold a 50 percent share in Ten Jem Consultancy Pvt Ltd, a company formed to manage the jointly acquired Spitzkop property.

According to court submissions, the two allegedly entered into a verbal agreement governing their partnership and the management of the property.

However, Masango claims that in 2012, Jemwa secretly obtained the property's transfer documents from their lawyer without his consent and transferred the entire property into the company's name, effectively excluding him from ownership.

Masango further alleges that he had already been unlawfully ousted from the property in 2007, sparking a long-running legal battle over his claimed 50 percent stake.

At the heart of the dispute is the allegation that Jemwa reneged on their verbal partnership agreement and transferred full ownership to Ten Jem Consultancy Pvt Ltd, contrary to the terms they had agreed upon.

The matter was scheduled for judgment when Jemwa failed to attend court, prompting the issuance of the arrest warrant.

Further proceedings are expected once the accused is brought before the court.