Staff Reporter| Former Gwanda mayor, Lionel de Necker has been dragged to the magistrates’ court to answer fraud charges, after he allegedly sold a commercial stand to two prominent Gwanda businessmen at the same time.
De Necker briefly appeared before Gwanda magistrate Sheila Nazombe, who remanded the matter to November 30 for trial to allow the former mayor’s legal representative, from Phulu and Ncube Legal Practitioners, time to go to court, as he was said to be tied up elsewhere.
According to court records, from December 2013 to August 2015, De Necker approached Joseph Mutiyeni, proprietor of Growly Enterprises, and advised him that he was selling a commercial stand, Number 635 Soudan Street, which he had bought from council.
The two entered into a deal and the stand was sold for $15 000, with Mutiyeni initially making a deposit of $5 200 and later settling the balance.
De Necker allegedly later went to Charles Tshuma, proprietor of Oasis Hardware, and sold the same stand for $20 000.
Mutiyeni became suspicious in August last year when he realised that his stand was being developed by Tshuma and reported the matter to the police, leading to De Necker’s arrest.
Mutiyeni, Tshuma and Mandlenkosi Moyo, the economic development officer at the municipality, will be called as State witness.
De Necker is pleading not guilty on the matter.