Bogus estate agent granted bail

A Harare man who reportedly swindled home-seekers of over $20 000 after posing as an estate agent has been arrested. Bernard Mutanga (49) of 15 Hawkshead Drive, Borrowdale, Harare, yesterday appeared before magistrate Tendai Mahwe facing fraud charges.

Mutanga was remanded out of custody on a $200 bail with strict reporting conditions. The prosecutor Mr Sebastian Mutizirwa told the court that sometime in November, Mutanga put an advert in the newspapers that he was selling stands in Glen View 7.

It is alleged Raymond Maravi, Sharon Nyaradzo Dambaza, Angela Kanyemba and Christine Musa Behas responded to the adverts by making enquiries at the site as well as his offices in Belgravia.

During the period extending from December 2015 to January 2016, the court heard, Mutanga sold four stands which were registered in the name of Crest Breeders International Private Limited, a subsidiary of CFI Holdings.

According to State papers, Mutanga lied to the complainants that the stands belonged to him and that he was properly placed to sell them.