Harare Man Arrested Over Alleged Fake City Stands Scam

By Southerton Business Times | Harare

The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) has arrested a Harare man accused of defrauding prospective homebuyers of US$4,580 through an alleged scheme involving fake City of Harare residential stands and forged council documents.

In a statement issued on Monday, 3 August 2026, ZACC said Gerald Mangwiro is facing three counts of fraud and two counts of forgery after allegedly posing as an agent of the City of Harare and using counterfeit council documents to deceive home seekers. The anti-graft body said the alleged offences occurred between August 2023 and July 2026.

According to ZACC, Mangwiro allegedly approached complainant Rongedzai Kutsapede, falsely claiming he could facilitate the purchase of a residential stand from the City of Harare.

Investigators allege he produced fake subdivision layout plans and fraudulent offer letters before directing the complainant to deposit US$2,370 into a personal bank account, which he allegedly misrepresented as belonging to the local authority.

ZACC further alleges that between May and July 2026, Mangwiro targeted the same complainant again, convincing him to pay an additional US$1,130 for another residential stand despite allegedly having no authority to allocate municipal land. The commission said the accused claimed the payments were required for group contributions, City of Harare waiting list fees, and interview fees.

On the third fraud count, Mangwiro is accused of deceiving another prospective homeowner, Kingstone Reza, into paying US$1,080 after allegedly promising to facilitate the allocation of a genuine council residential stand. According to ZACC, the money was demanded as payment for the stand allocation process and related interview fees. To make the transactions appear legitimate, investigators allege Mangwiro forged two City of Harare offer letters issued to Kutsapede and Reza.

The letters were allegedly printed on official City of Harare letterheads, signed using the name of the Director of Housing and Community Services, and stamped with counterfeit municipal date stamps to create the impression that they were authentic council documents.

ZACC said the alleged fraud resulted in a combined prejudice of US$4,580, all of which remains unrecovered.

Mangwiro has since appeared before the Harare Magistrates' Court, where he was granted US$200 bail and remanded to 28 August 2026 for routine remand proceedings. The matter is still before the courts, and Mangwiro is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

The latest arrest comes amid recurring reports of fraudulent land allocation schemes targeting home seekers in Harare, where high demand for residential stands has created opportunities for land scammers. ZACC has repeatedly urged members of the public to verify land offers directly with local authorities before making any payments and to avoid depositing money into personal bank accounts for council-related transactions.

The City of Harare has also consistently advised prospective buyers to conduct due diligence by confirming the authenticity of offer letters and stand allocations through its Housing and Community Services Department to avoid falling victim to fraudulent schemes.

Fake City of Harare stands scam