By Emily Mbewe
BULAWAYO – A prominent lawyer with Cheda and Partners Law firm in Bulawayo, Mlamuli Ncube, and three accomplices, allegedly forged powers of attorney and used them to sell two houses in the leafy suburbs of Burnside and Fortunes Gate for a total of $75,000 without the owners’ knowledge or consent, a court heard yesterday.
Ncube, 34, Elphas Ncube, 43, Maxwell Busani, 36, and Philip Mubonesi Moyo, 36, appeared before Bulawayo magistrate, Sibongile Msipa-Marondedze facing fraud charges.
They pleaded not guilty and were remanded out of custody on $100 bail each.
Magistrate Msipa-Marondedze ordered the trio to appear in court today as Mlamuli’s defence counsel indicated that they wanted to apply for refusal of remand for the other fraud charge that he is jointly facing with Elphas and Moyo.
Prosecuting Charles Danda said sometime between the month of June and July, Mlamuli, Elphas and Mubonesi forged Timothy Muzvondiwa’s power of attorney and put the document in Moyo’s name before selling Muzvondiwa’s Fortunes Gate home.
The court heard that investigations by the police revealed that Elphas Ncube proceeded to the Deeds office and checked on the title deeds of Number 7, Whitburn Road, Fortunes Gate.
“Mlamuli knew that the particulars on the power of attorney belonged to Veronica Alison Edwards who is the owner of the house,” said Danda.
He told the court that Mlamuli went on to forge an electronic mail to the effect that Edwards had confirmed that she had given Moyo the power of attorney to sell her house.
The court heard that the house was sold for $50,000.
Sometime last year, Danda said, Mlamuli, Elphas and Mpofu connived and forged a power of attorney and identity document in the name of Ezekiel Moyo.
Danda told the court that Mlamuli used the same method and changed the power of attorney before selling Zinhle Jean Ndlovu’s house for $25,000 to Philimon Matika.
The court heard that Ndlovu’s house is Number 6 Avocate Close, Burnside.
Danda said on March 7, Elphas was arrested and he implicated his three accomplices, Mlamuli, Busani and Moyo.
Elphas Ncube and Mubonesi Moyo aka Livion Moyo, on Monday appeared before Msipa-Marondedze facing unlawful entry and fraud charges after they allegedly broke into a house whose owner was abroad, stole all the property and changed the ownership before selling it.
They were not asked to plead and remanded in custody to March 18.
The duo allegedly conducted an auction where they invited members of the public to the house in Burnside and sold all the property.
The court heard that the pair worked with some unnamed lawyers who somehow helped them acquire the house’s title deeds before selling it.
The owner of the house, Vusimazulu Nkomo, 50, who is based in South Africa, reportedly collapsed when the issue came to light. The Chronicle
