In the sprawling, bustling capital of Harare, a sophisticated wave of white-collar crime is currently reshaping the landscape of property and investment. It is a environment where the promise of a lucrative land deal or a profitable gold trading partnership is being weaponised to drain the life savings of unsuspecting citizens. Across the city, a series of complex fraud cases have recently come to light, revealing that no sector is immune to the reach of those determined to profit from deception. From the leafy suburbs of Borrowdale to the corridors of the city’s administrative offices, the blueprint for these crimes remains consistently rooted in the production of meticulously crafted, yet entirely fraudulent, documentation.
Moses Phiri, a man based in Madagascar, found himself entangled in one of the most audacious land scams to have surfaced in recent times. The target was a property in The Grange, specifically Stand 783, a plot measuring 3,200 square metres. The transaction began in 2021, when Phiri was approached by Pearson Chinanga, who set the stage for a convincing deception. Chinanga introduced Phiri to Ashley Tinaye Charlie, presenting the latter as the rightful owner of the prime land.
The process of the swindle was designed to instil complete confidence in the buyer. Charlie, acting in coordination with Chinanga, offered the stand for US$48,000. Phiri took the time to inspect the property, and satisfied with what he saw, he moved forward with the purchase. To solidify the illusion, Charlie produced a document purported to be from the City of Harare. It bore the council’s official letterhead and appeared to be signed by the Director of Housing and Community Services. To further silence any lingering doubts, a fake survey diagram was also provided.
Between March and July 2021, Phiri transferred funds in multiple payments, eventually handing over US$45,000. An agreement of sale was signed, and Charlie dutifully provided acknowledgements of receipt for every tranche of money. However, the veneer of legitimacy began to crack when Phiri eventually discovered that Charlie held no authority to sell the stand and that the documentation he had been provided with was a fabrication from start to finish. The financial loss stands at US$45,000, with no recovery of the funds yet in sight. The matter has since been brought before the courts, with Charlie facing serious fraud charges.
This pattern of deception extends beyond residential land. The legal profession, often seen as a bastion of trust and procedural integrity, has not been spared. In a separate development that has gripped the city, a lawyer, David Donzvambewa of Jiti Law Chambers, found himself at the centre of an investigation involving the fraudulent transfer of property in the prestigious Quinnington area of Borrowdale.
The case involves Stand 163, a property registered under Bluegen Consultancy. Investigations have centred on the actions of Grace Communications, a company that Donzvambewa claimed to represent. The authorities are looking into the use of a fake deed of transfer, which was allegedly produced in an attempt to seize ownership of the land. The document in question purportedly carried the forged signature of Mrs Ellen Runyararo Mawire, a principal examiner with the Deeds Registry. Detectives have gone as far as recording a statement from Mrs Mawire to confirm the illegality of the papers presented. Further scrutiny into Grace Communications revealed that the company itself was registered with inaccurate information, including an address that investigators could not verify. The lawyer handed himself over to the police after a search for his whereabouts, and the directors of the company remain the subject of an ongoing manhunt.
The ingenuity of these scams is matched only by their variety. While property theft requires intricate forgeries of official seals and signatures, other fraudsters rely on the allure of quick returns in the commodity sector. This was the case for George Makata, who lost US$18,000 in a gold trading partnership that never stood a chance of succeeding.
In January 2022, Makata was introduced to Simbarashe Rewayi Nyasha Musiwacho by a mutual acquaintance. Musiwacho, who claimed to be a licensed gold trader, stated that he lacked the necessary capital to scale his operations. The two met at Big B Mall, located at the corner of Bishop Gaul Avenue and Rekayi Tangwena Avenue, where Makata handed over the cash. The promise was simple: an investment of US$18,000 with profits to be shared equally.
The partnership, however, existed only in Musiwacho’s rhetoric. Shortly after receiving the funds, he vanished. For months, Makata attempted to make contact, only to be met with evasive responses and broken promises. It was not until November 2025, nearly three years later, that the trail finally went cold. Makata spotted Musiwacho in the early hours of the morning at Habana Lounge. He immediately alerted the police, who arrived on the scene and took the suspect into custody. Musiwacho has since appeared before the courts to answer for the missing funds, leaving Makata with a significant financial loss and a lesson in the dangers of informal investment partnerships.
These incidents highlight a concerning trend in Harare, where the mechanisms of formal verification are being bypassed by those with the technical skill to manufacture official-looking documents. Whether it is the City of Harare’s letterhead being forged to steal a stand in The Grange, or a deed of transfer being manufactured to snatch property in Borrowdale, the common thread is the exploitation of the victim’s desire for secure, tangible assets.
The frequency with which these cases are now emerging points to a broader issue within the city’s transaction landscape. In each instance, the victim was led to believe they were participating in a standard, legitimate process. The sophistication of the forgeries and the audacity of the individuals involved underscore the level of risk now inherent in property and investment dealings. For many, these cases serve as a stark reminder of the necessity for rigorous due diligence. In an environment where signatures are forged, company addresses are falsified, and official council documents are replicated with alarming precision, the simple act of handing over money has become fraught with peril. The legal battles ahead for Charlie, Donzvambewa, and Musiwacho will continue to unfold, but for the victims who have parted with their money, the process of seeking justice remains a long and arduous road.