Zim GBC News | Crimes and Courts
MASVINGO – Two prominent Zanu PF members, identified as the architects of Masvingo’s largest new suburb, have been arrested for allegedly orchestrating a US$1 million land grab and fraud scheme at Victoria Ranch.
Godhati Dunira (57) and Ephraim Gwanongodza (59) were taken into remand prison on Thursday after being charged with fraud for illegally parcelling out and selling residential stands on land belonging to ShinePlus Holdings, one of the country’s major landholders.
According to court allegations, the two men, who are shareholders in Rajavik Investments, hatched a plan in 2022 to defraud desperate home seekers. They are accused of targeting a 50-hectare piece of land that was officially allocated to ShinePlus by the Ministry of Local Government in 2019.
Prosecutors state that Dunira and Gwanongodza prepared an unauthorized layout plan for the area, pegged residential and business stands, and began collecting payments ranging from US$2,000 to US$7,500 from prospective buyers.
“The two are charged with fraud for grabbing ShinePlus Holdings land,” a source familiar with the case confirmed.
The Police are reportedly refusing bail, citing ongoing investigations that suggest the scale of the illicit land dealings could be far greater than initially revealed.
This is not the first time companies linked to the accused have faced scrutiny. Both ShinePlus and Rajavik Investments appeared before the Justice Tendai Uchena Commission of Inquiry in 2018, which investigated the sale of state land in urban areas. The commission recommended their activities be investigated, but aside from one conviction in Gweru, the report’s recommendations have been largely ignored.
The arrests have cast a renewed spotlight on the long-standing issue of illegal land sales by politically connected individuals, often referred to as “land barons.”
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