Martin Muleya
A Sakubva woman and her co-accused allegedly concocted a scheme to defraud Mutare City Council of a residential stand belonging to Fungai Chiminya.
They allegedly used a fake identity card to impersonate the rightful owner, attempting to unlawfully acquire the property.
Priscilla Chitsinde (44) of 126 Old Chisamba appeared before Mutare magistrate Poterai Gwezhira facing fraud as defined in Section 136 of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act (Chapter 9:23)
It was the State’s case led by Sandra Mlambo that on 27th October 2025, Chitsinde in the company of Tendai Muchaneta (already in remand) and Alice Saungweme (still at large) went to Mutare City Council using Alice Saungweme’s vehicle, where they met Edwin Hunguru (already in remand) who was waiting for them at the department of Housing.
“The trio were armed with a fraudulent national identity card, bearing the name Fungai Chiminya but with Tendai Muchaneta’s photograph. Upon arrival at the department of Housing, Muchaneta and Hunguru disembarked from the vehicle leaving Chitsinde and Saungweme and approached Tatenda Nyika, who requested for Muchaneta’s identity card.
“Muchaneta then instructed Hunguru to collect her identity card from a motor vehicle which was parked outside council premises, in which Chitsinde and Saungweme parked. Chitsinde proceeded to handover the fraudulent identity card to Hunguru for purposes of handing it over to Muchaneta for the achievement of their endeavor,” prosecuted Mlambo.
The identity card bore the name Fungai Chiminya with Tendai Muchaneta’s picture. Upon examination of the identity card submitted by Muchaneta and a picture bone on a passport photocopy in the file revealed that the faces were different thereby raising Nyika’s suspicion.
The Housing officer discreetly proceeded to call Fungai Chiminya’s cousin, Nomatter Manzou, whose details were in the stand file and was advised that Chiminya was nowhere in Mutare and that she was in Zaka and had never misplaced her stand documents.
Convinced that the accused persons were fraudsters, Nyika reported the issue to the Council security department who in turn reported the matter to Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC). Upon the arrest of Muchaneta and Hunguru, Chitsinde and Saungweme fled but Chitsinde was subsequently arrested.
She will be back in the dock next Friday.
