Warrant of Arrest for Harare Businessman

A local businessman, Tendai Jemwa, has been issued with a warrant of arrest by Harare regional magistrate Francis Mapfumo after he skipped court in a matter involving a ZWL$29 million property dispute with his brother-in-law. Thomas Masango claims his brother-in-law and business partner, Jemwa, illegally ousted him from their shared Spitzkop property in 2007, despite a verbal agreement governing their joint purchase. The State represented by Ephraim Zinyandu alleges that Masango and Jemwa had agreed that Masango would hold a 50 percent share in Ten Jem Consultancy Pvt Ltd, the company formed to manage the property.

However, in 2012, Jemwa allegedly defrauded Masango by secretly obtaining the property’s transfer documents from their lawyer without Masango’s consent. ​At the heart of the dispute is the claim that Jemwa reneged on a verbal partnership, transferring the entire property to Ten Jem Consultancy Pvt Ltd instead of honoring Masango’s 50 percent stake. Masango alleges this unlawful removal of his interest ignited the ongoing legal battle.