‘Buyer’ appears in pictures with VP Chiwenga

GARIKAI MAFIRAKUREVA

HARARE – The man who allegedly bought Zimbabwe first Minister of Education Dr Dzingai Mutumbuka’s US$600 000 Chisipite house using forged title deeds appears well-connected but the case took a twist this week when Harison Marange distanced himself from the deal and instead said a cousin who shares the same name with him bought the house.
It also emerged that the whereabouts of the seller of the house Jonah Ngome is not known and the deed of transfer was done by the Sheriff on the order of former Justice Chinamhora. Ngome has never appeared in court to defend that he indeed was the owner and seller of the property.
Marange who appears in a group picture with Vice President Constantine Chiwenga taken at the latter’s Munhumutapa office pleaded with The Mirror not to write the story because he was on dialysis and the article would push his health down.
Also in that picture are two ladies believed to be Chiwenga’s nieces; Evelyn Chakuinga and Brylyne Chitsunge and Frank Buyanga, a businessman.
Marange told The Mirror that Harrison Marange who bought Dr Mutumbuka’s house was based in the UK and he promised to supply his mobile number to the newspaper or give the said buyer The Mirror number so he could call himself.
Marange had neither sent the mobile number to The Mirror nor did the said Harrison call by the time of going to Press.
Marange said there are three cousins in the family who use the name Harrison Marange because it was their grandfather’s name.
However, The Mirror established that the mobile number that Marange answered to is the same number given for the buyer on court documents.
Marange confirmed that he met or meets Vice President Chiwenga but this was only because he built a lot of schools in Muzarabani.
“I am not the one who bought the house. It’s my cousin in the UK who has the same name with me. We are three people with the same name because that was our grandfather’s name. The buyer of the house is younger than me. I will give you his number or I will give him yours, so that you can communicate.
“What does my being in the same picture with Vice President have to do with the house issue? I am the one who built a lot of schools in Muzarabani that is why we were pictured together with the Vice President. I have a kidney failure so I am seeing the doctor for dialysis,” said Marange.
Efforts to get a comment from Chiwenga’s office or the Presidential Spokesperson George Charamba were futile.
Dr Mutumbuka’s nephew Antony Muperi, insisted to The Mirror that the man in the picture was indeed Harison Marange who ‘bought’ Dr Mutumbuka’s house. He met him several times at courts and sometimes court sessions had to be postponed because he was on dialysis.
“The man in that picture is Harison Marange, the ‘buyer’ of Dr Mutumbuka’s house. I met him several times at courts and indeed we postponed several court hearings because he would be going on dialysis,” said Muperi.
“He is trying to hide behind a finger, I know him very well. I was introduced to him and his wife by our lawyer. So, I know him very well,” said Muperi.
The case is that fraudsters acting in cohorts with officials from the deeds office forged title deeds to Dr Mutumbuka’s house in Chisipite and sold it. Dr Mutumbuka who works for the World Bank and stays in the USA only realised this when the transfers were already happening in the High Court.
The suspected fraudsters who forged the title deeds were arrested and they are appearing in court. However, Dr Mutumbuka was last week evicted from the house on a technicality. A judge who granted the transfer of the property, Justice Chinamhora resigned from the bench last month just as the Judicial Service Commission was about to start investigations of corruption against him.
The suspects who forged the papers are Prosper Biziweck (43) and Tatenda “Shaft”  Wakatama (44). Marange only paid US$40 000 for the house and was given title deeds.
It is alleged that on June 22, 2021, the two, together with accomplices Jonah Ngome, Taurai Makata, Peter Chigayo and Kenias Mutyasira, who are still at large, forged title deeds of house number 90, Harare Drive, Chisipite in Harare which is registered in Mutumbuka’s name to be in Ngome’s name.
Ironically, before the trial of the alleged fraudsters was finalised at the magistrate’s court, Marange approached the High Court, Case number HCH 4912/22 to have the transfer.