Court Hears Explosive $29m Fraud Claim Over Spitzkop Estate

By Judith Nyuke

The trial concerning a $29 million piece of land in Spitzkop continued on Tuesday at the Harare Magistrates Court as one brother-in-law maintained that his in-law fraudulently removed him from the property’s ownership.

During cross-examination, Thomas Masango told the court that he contributed to the purchase of the property but was not informed when it was sold.

According to Masango, he and the other party Tendai Jemwa had been business partners for some time until they had a falling out.

The matter was remanded to 4 September 2025 for trial continuation.

The State, represented by Ephraim Zinyandu alleges that in 2007 Masango and Jemwa entered into verbal business ventures and acquired several properties including 58 Spitzkop, Snake Park, Harare.

Both Masango and Jemwa reportedly purchased the property from Zinto for $29 million. Zinto claimed to have bought the land from Jeremiah and was awaiting the title deed transfer which was referenced on title deed number 10146/89.

By the time the parties bought the property from Zinto, it had not yet been transferred into Zinto’s name and it was still holding Chamba’s title deed number 10146/89.

During the transaction Zinto gave both parties his own agreement of sale together with the one he entered with Chamba.

“Both parties bought the property with the intention to register it into Ten Jem Consultants (Pvt) Ltd being a company owned by Jemwa and to that extent Masango agreed with Jemwa that before, upon or immediately after the transfer of the property is made into Ten Jem Consultants (Pvt) Ltd he was going to be made 50 percent shareholder and Director of Ten Jem Consultants (Pvt) Ltd in ratification of their earlier agreement,” the State alleges.

The State’s case is that in 2012 Jemwa allegedly defrauded Masango of his ownership by secretly collecting the file of transfer documents from their lawyer.

This happened before the property was officially transferred or before they could finalize the 50/50 shareholding in their company, Ten Jem Consultants.