Harare magistrate Ruth Moyo found Bamusi Magaisa, Philip Kambuto, Joel Madziva, Isaac Wikiseni, Togarepi Mudzudza, Shelly Chapwanya, and Tatenda Ndlovu guilty after a full trial. Each was sentenced to seven months in prison, with one month suspended on condition they do not commit a similar offense within the next five years.
State prosecutor Mandirasa Chigumira presented evidence that between April and October last year, the group unlawfully invaded Cloverdale B of Galloway Estate, Goromonzi. They pegged, surveyed, and allocated stands to themselves before proceeding to build structures on the land.
Further investigations established that Glorious Real Estate (Pvt) Ltd, operating as Glorious Properties and represented by Kagonye, had an agreement with the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, officially appointing the company as the sole developer of the estate. The land remained classified as Urban State Land, meaning the accused had no legal authority to subdivide or develop it.
In her ruling, Magistrate Moyo highlighted the severity of the actions of Magaisa and Chapwanya, stating that they were fully aware of Glorious Properties’ role as the official developer yet still played leading roles in the illegal land seizures.
“They were both allocated land by the developer and knew very well that Glorious Properties was the sole developer, yet they spearheaded efforts to alter the land under development,” the magistrate noted.
ALSO READ : Security Guards Fired for Escorting Wicknell Chivayo Amid Crowd Frenzy
