Career criminal thrown out of Kumalo house

By Nqobile Tshili

Incarcerated notorious criminal John Raphael Masuku has been evicted from a house he used to own in Bulawayo’s Kumalo suburb.

Masuku was arrested in January after police discovered stolen goods at the house.

Police recovered stolen property stashed in the ceiling while more was buried in the yard.

Investigators found the rest at his rural home in Ntabazinduna and police filled up an eight-tonne truck with the loot.

Masuku is detained at Khami Remand Prison as his case is still being heard in court.

Tenants at the house yesterday said Masuku sold it in 2013 and the new owner came and evicted them.

They told The Chronicle that Masuku’s wife, Tracy, a pastor at a local church, disappeared on Monday after assuring them that they would continue living in the house.

The tenants said they were, however, shocked after the new owner came yesterday morning and started throwing their property out of the house.

When a Chronicle news crew visited the house yesterday, the stranded tenants were camped outside the yard saying they have nowhere to go.

Some of the items that were removed from the house included three car wrecks that were said to belong to Masuku.

The tenants blamed Tracy for their woes, saying she collected rentals last week, leaving them desperate.

“Where will we get a house to rent in the middle of the month? His wife Tracy yesterday (Monday) assured us that nothing was going to happen to us when she left. She actually collected rentals. About 10 families were living in this house. We no longer have money,” said one of the tenants.

Another tenant said Masuku sold the house in 2013 but that information was kept secret until the new owner came.

“His wife moved out yesterday and the new owner came today and started removing our property. Some of us were at work but he broke into our houses and removed our things. He removed everything and changed the lock sets. We’re blaming everything on Masuku’s wife. Surprisingly she claims that she is a pastor. What kind of a pastor does this?” asked the tenant.

The tenants said Tracy has not been answering her mobile phone. The Chronicle also tried contacting her but she was unreachable.

Masuku is facing over 30 counts of criminal cases including theft, robbery and fraud.

He has been charged with 19 counts of theft of motor vehicles and a count of robbery with the state lining up more than 50 witnesses against him, one of whom was robbed of important documents pertaining to the case.

Reports in 2003 also described Masuku as a notorious carjacker who was facing charges of stealing nine luxury vehicles worth over $9,7 million at the time. Chronicle