BULAWAYO – A protracted property wrangle has ended with the High Court ordering the eviction of a woman who claimed she paid ZW$150 million nearly two decades ago for land that was later sold to another buyer for US$13,000.
Justice Evangelista Kabasa ruled that David and Dadirai Shoko, a Bulawayo couple, are the rightful owners of Lot 2 of Lot 42 North Trenance, after purchasing the property in 2013 and securing a title deed in 2022.
The dispute flared in December 2024 when David Shoko returned from Namibia to begin construction, only to find a two-roomed house already standing on the land and occupied by the mother of rival claimant, Blessing Matsvimbo.
Matsvimbo told the court she had bought the property in 2006, paying ZW$150 million in instalments, and accused the Shokos of collusion with the original seller, Kennedy Nyakudziwanza.
But Justice Kabasa dismissed her claim.
“The applicants are the registered owners of the property which is being occupied by the respondent. Such occupation is not with the applicants’ consent. The applicants’ title to the property has not been impugned,” the judge said.
The court heard that Matsvimbo had reported Nyakudziwanza to police, and he now faces fraud charges. Justice Kabasa said her remedy lay against him, not the Shokos.
“The fact that the respondent has reported the seller for fraud is telling. He is the one who duped her and it is to him that a claim lies,” the judge ruled.
Finding no evidence of collusion, the court ordered Matsvimbo to vacate within seven days or face forcible removal by the Sheriff. She was also condemned to pay legal costs.
