Former First Lady Grace Mugabe, several government and ruling Zanu PF officials have been sucked into a title deeds scandal where the Department of Deeds Companies and Intellectual Property fraudulently awarded them with title deeds without following due process.
Several top Zanu PF officials who grabbed prime land in Borrowdale from a land developer went on to acquire title deeds without following due process.
Title Deeds are prepared by conveyancers or lawyers who have appeared before the Registrar of Deeds.
The matter, Zim Morning Post has established, is currently being probed by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc).
Documents seen by Zim Morning Post show that Grace Mugabe, who allegedly grabbed 50 000 square metres of land which she handed to her children and relatives, acquired title deeds for the said land without following procedures.
Documents seen by this publication show that Grace distributed the developed residential stands to Bona, Russel Goreraza and Robert Mugabe Jnr.
According to the documents Bona and Robert Jnr were awarded stand numbers 306 measuring 18034m2, stand 307 (25133m2), stand 308 (13733m2) and stand 309 (16774m2).
Bona, and Robert Jnr’s residential stands are recorded under title deeds number 5692/11, 5693/11, 5694/11 as well as 5695/11.
Documents also revealed that Grace assisted Junior Shuvai Gumbochuma, her sister, to acquire stand number 228 (12086m2) which she has also not paid for and is registered under title deed number 6228/11.
“The matter has been reported and Zacc is carrying out its own investigations,” said a source close to the development.
“The people who bought the stands were supposed to pay the developer and then be allowed to apply for title deeds. The procedure is that the land developer provides a certificate to residential stands owners as acknowledgement that they can now acquire title deeds. Local government then endorses the application of title deeds but in this case the bigwigs bypassed all these processes.”
Grace is said to have grabbed prime land in Borrowdale from a property developer and fraudulently acquired title deeds of the said land with the help of former Cabinet minister Ignatius Chombo.
Chombo was arrested on charges emanating from his tenure as Minister of Local Government from year 2000 to 2015 including accusations of facilitating the grabbing of residential stands by Grace who gave some of these stands to close family members and other relatives.
As reported by this publication, the Mugabes used two companies, namely Montshow Investments (Pvt) Ltd and Naviline Investments (Pvt) Ltd, to acquire title deeds for the residential stands without the knowledge of the land developer.
Sources close to the development said Grace was helped by Chombo, not only to grab the land in question but also to process the title deeds fraudulently.
“The key person was Chombo who assisted Grace and other Zanu PF members to grab land,” said the source.
Another beneficiary of the land grab is Grace’ son, Russels who used a company called Penking Investments to acquire stand number 99 measuring 7081m2.
“All the cases have since been taken to the High Court under case numbers 5117/20, 5244/20, 5243/20, 5113/20 and 5242/20.” – Zim Morning Post
