Fake Land Seller Jailed After Mutare Property Scam

A 51-year-old man from Nyadongo Village under Chief Zimunya has been sentenced to an effective six months in prison after admitting to defrauding two women in a bogus land sale in Mutare. Stephen Shamu was convicted at the Mutare Magistrates’ Court on 25 February 2026 after pleading guilty to two counts of fraud before Magistrate Honest Musiyiwa. The court heard that between August and November 2025, Shamu falsely claimed he had authority to sell residential land in Dora Village misleading the complainants into believing they would obtain lawful ownership.

He received US$525 from Nokuthula Nleya and US$625 from Bridget Batsirai Chiwandika after promising them land allocation, village registration and fencing arrangements. Prosecutors said Shamu attempted to legitimise the transaction through fraudulent affidavits drafted in November 2025. In the documents, he allegedly impersonated the supposed landowner, Douglas Bhunu, inserting Bhunu’s personal details while signing and placing his own fingerprint on the papers.

The scam came to light when the two women attempted to begin developments on the land but were stopped by the village head, Bvirindi, who informed them that the property neither belonged to Shamu nor Bhunu and had in fact been reserved for a family member. The matter was subsequently reported to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), leading to Shamu’s arrest on 23 February. Magistrate Musiyiwa sentenced Shamu to 12 months’ imprisonment, with six months suspended on condition that he repays the full US$1,150 to the complainants by 10 March 2026. Failure to compensate the victims will result in the suspended sentence being enforced, the court ruled.