A HARARE couple has approached the High Court after allegedly losing US$16 000 to a local real estate company, Mururi Investments, after they purchased a non-existent residential stand.
In the court application, Lloyd Chinhau and Colleta Manyanye are claiming that Mururi Investments conned them into paying for the stand which the company had no right to sell.
In 2019, the couple entered into an agreement of sale for a stand in Belvedere West, Harare, with Mururi.
The couple also paid US$400 for a house plan to be drawn up by an employee of the real estate company.
“The plaintiffs entered into an agreement of sale on the 5th of August 2019 with the defendant wherein the defendant sold stand number 1094 Belvedere West, Harare, for US$15 500.
“The terms of the agreement of sale were that upon payment of the full purchase price, the plaintiffs will occupy the property and transfer was to be effected by the seller’s attorneys.
“The plaintiffs went on to pay another US$400 for a plan which was done by one Mr Gutuza, an employee of the defendant,” reads the summons filed by Chinhau and Manyanye.
The couple is claiming that they were later made aware that Mururi lacked the authority to subdivide the stand, which led them to demand a refund of the payment they had made.
“The problem then arose when the plaintiffs asked the defendants to get the plan approved by the City of Harare and this mandate was not fulfilled.
“The plaintiffs also enquired about the transfer of the stand and the defendant was not forthcoming and started giving excuses.
“However, it emerged that the defendants had not been permitted by council to be subdivide the stand neither had they commenced the process of attaining such a permit and that the stand was dubious and did not exist,” the couple further added.
They are demanding that Mururi Investments return the money they paid for the stand.
Mururi is yet to file opposing papers to the lawsuit.
