Minister in defrauded
Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr. John Mangwiro was allegedly defrauded of close $40 000 by former Alouvine Investments Private Limited company director, Rudo Sarudzayi Mapfumo. Mapfumo allegedly resold (without his knowledge) a property she had sold to the Minister sometime in 2012.
Stand No 16911D Old SPCA Complex along Seke Road which is at the center of the case was resold to Funwell Zvenyika after being initially sold to Dr Mangwiro for US$38 855. Mapfumo allegedly later forged the signature of a law firm’s secretary on documents where she earned herself a default judgment that allowed her to evict Dr Mangwiro from the property. She is expected to appear in court on October 24 on fraud and forgery charges.
Circumstances leading to her arrest are that sometime in 2012, Dr Mangwiro bought Alouvine Investments Pvt Ltd, which owned stand No 16911D Old SPCA Complex along Seke Road in Harare from Mapfumo for US$38 855. The parties agreed that Dr Mangwiro gives Mapfumo a Nissan double cab valued at US$6000, a bull, and US$6 000. They also agreed that Dr Mangwiro would settle Alouvine Investment’s outstanding ZESA bills of US$5 171.28 and rates of US$10 905 owed to the City of Harare.
When Dr Mangwiro was in the process of changing ownership of the property, Mapfumo allegedly sold the same property to Funwell Zvenyika. Upon hearing of the sale, Dr. Mangwiro attempted to engage Mapfumo but to no avail. He then engaged the services of Mbidzo, Muchadehama, and Makoni Legal Practitioners to handle the matter.
In 2016 Mapfumo allegedly applied for an eviction order at the Harare Civil Court against Dr. Mangwiro for him to vacate the property saying he had failed to clear outstanding bills at the City of Harare. On October 10, 2016, Mapfumo allegedly forged the signature of Rudo Kurebgasekwa, who was a Legal Clerk at Mbidzo, Muchadehama, and Makoni Legal Practitioners, to appear as if she had received the Notice of Set Down For Trial on behalf of Dr Mangwiro.
Mapfumo then allegedly took the forged Notice of Set Down for trial  to the Harare Civil Court and presented it as a return of service. Resultantly, a default judgment ordering Dr Mangwiro to vacate Old SPCA Complex was granted, since he had failed to attend the hearing. On April 3, 2017, Dr Mangwiro was evicted from the property by the Messenger of Court.
Details about the forged Kurebgasekwa signature later emerged and a complaint was lodged with the police leading to her arrest.
