A Harare man has appeared in court facing fraud and forgery charges after allegedly duping aspiring homeowners out of thousands of United States dollars through a fake residential stands scheme, the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) has said.
In a statement, ZACC confirmed the arrest of Gerald Mangwiro who is facing three counts of fraud and two counts of forgery linked to the alleged illegal sale of residential stands purportedly belonging to the City of Harare.
According to the anti-graft body, the alleged offences occurred between August 2023 and July 2026.
“It is alleged that between August 2023 and July 2026, Mangwiro misrepresented to Rongedzai Kutsapede that he would assist him to purchase a residential stand from the City of Harare,” ZACC said.
The Commission alleges that Mangwiro produced counterfeit layout plans and offer letters before instructing the complainant to deposit US$2 370 into a bank account he falsely claimed belonged to the City of Harare.
Investigators further allege that between May and July 2026, Mangwiro convinced the same complainant to pay an additional US$1 130 for another residential stand, despite allegedly having no authority to allocate council land.
“Mangwiro allegedly claimed the money was for group contributions, City of Harare waiting list fees, and interview fees,” ZACC said.
The Commission said Mangwiro also allegedly targeted another complainant, Kingstone Reza who was reportedly defrauded of US$1 080 after being promised assistance in acquiring a genuine City of Harare residential stand.
According to ZACC, the accused demanded payment for the stand as well as interview fees.
To allegedly conceal the scheme, Mangwiro is accused of forging two City of Harare offer letters issued to Kutsapede and Reza.
“He is alleged to have signed them using the name of the Director of Housing and Community Services and affixed fake City of Harare date stamps to make them appear authentic,” the Commission said.
ZACC said the total prejudice suffered by the complainants amounts to US$4 580.
Mangwiro appeared before the Harare Magistrates’ Court where he was granted US$200 bail and remanded to 28 August 2026.
The case adds to a growing number of alleged residential stands fraud cases, with authorities urging prospective homebuyers to verify land transactions directly with local authorities before making any payments.
