Ex-RBZ governor Gideon Gono recovers property from fraudster couple

The last three months saw two prominent Zimbabweans Dr Dzingai Mutumbuka and Dr Gideon Gono falling victim to fraudsters who had tried to change company ownership documents but in both cases, the fraudsters ran out of luck and “both Doctors can afford to smile once again”, sources close to the matters have told Nehanda Radio.

According to a notarized Affidavit from two Directors who represented the original sellers of the property in question, Galwex Investments ( Pvt) Ltd, a company belonging to the Gono Family bought Valley Lodge ( Pvt) Ltd, situated on Stand 4006 Umtali Township of Umtali Township Lands also known as Stand 4006 Beira Road, Mutare from Ayoob Omar and his brother Mohammed Hussein Omar Family, in December, 2009.

In August 2017, the Gono Family entrusted the running and stewardship of the Valley Lodge to Clark “Clever” Makoni( 39) and wife Beverly Aisha Ndonda-Makoni (37) whom for years Gono had regarded as the family’s other “children “ since being introduced to them years earlier and helping them to settle down.0

It was during Covid-19 years that it is alleged the Makoni-couple hatched a plan to “empower” themselves by claiming to all and sundry, armed with forged documents, that both the property and business was theirs.

This, it is claimed by those close to developments, got to the ears of the former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) Governor who now demanded more reports and financial accountability from the couple and when these measures did not yield positive results, he instituted audit proceedings from the holding company and that is when all hell broke loose.

The Makonis filed false paperwork and Affidavits to the courts in Mutare who “erroneously”ruled in favor of the Makonis and barred Gono from entering his property.

It has since transpired that not all was above board when a Magistrate “ court order”, barring Gono’s access to his property was “hurriedly issued” on 23 November, 2023 in the absence of Gono’s representatives who when they tried to visit the Lodge and were immediately arrested.

The two lady-accountants and forensic auditors and a gentleman were arrested just after midnight, charged with unlawful entry into the Makoni’s property and incarcerated at Mutare Police Station for a whole day and released 11 hours later.

On the second attempt to gain access to their property, a lady accountant from Harare was again arrested and kept in cells overnight on charges of unlawful entry against the “ court order”.

These incidences clearly showed that either the Magistrate had not applied his full mind to the matters at hand or that he had been misled in the one man, one sided false evidence given under oath by the Makonis to secure the prohibition and interdict orders and application for spoliation filed by Clark and Beverly Makoni under Mutare Case No.1181/23.

Meanwhile, fast forward, Galwex ( Pvt) Ltd instituted legal and corruption proceedings at the Harare Magistrate Court via the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission, ref. ZAAC Case No.HCR: 17/11/23 against the couple which resulted in Clark Makoni being incarcerated at Harare Remand Prison for a week and released on bail a week later while the wife was remanded out of custody on a $100 bail because she has a baby breastfeeding.

The case is due for further hearing and trial on Tuesday, 23 January, 2024 at the Harare Rotten Row Magistrate’s Court.

It is understood in the meantime that, the lawyers representing the Makoni couple worked overtime during the week and approached Dr Gono for a meeting at his offices where the Makonis admitted that they DO NOT OWN and HAVE NEVER OWNED the Valley Lodge Property and that there were misrepresentations made in the Mutare Cases and that all they know is that they had been hired as Estate Agents and Managers of the business and property only by Dr Gono in 2017.

The meeting which is said to have lasted over 3 hours in Dr Gono’s boardroom offices along Kwame Nkrumah is said to have been attended by ten people comprising of 5 lawyers, Dr Gono and his audit team which had suffered arrests and incarceration in Mutare over the false claims by the Makonis.

In the end, it was pleaded for Dr Gono to go to Mutare and unconditionally receive his Valley Lodge property and business and for the Makoni couple to publicly confess to all management, staff of Valley Lodge, the police and CID in Mutare that they (Makoni couple), NEVER in the first place owned Valley Lodge and that they were happily and of their own volition, and being of a sound mind, unconditionally handing over the property’s keys and business management back to the Gono Family who were, and are the true owners and shareholders of the property and its business.

On Saturday, 20 January,2024 Dr Gono, accompanied by his audit team and staff of 8 went to Mutare and the first thing he did was to go straight to Mutare Central Police where he was, surprisingly, exceptionally welcomed by the entire top brass at the Station, including by those that had been arresting his staff before in the middle of the night on instructions from the Makoni couple. They were very happy to see the Fmr Governor himself in person.

After a very cordial meeting at the Police Central Station which lasted about an hour, during which he explained why he was there, Dr Gono was accompanied by two senior police personnel, Detective Sergeant Weja and Detective Constable Zvidzai (both of whom used to go and arrest Dr Gono’s team) to Valley Lodge for purposes of witnessing what the Makoni couple were going to say in their address to everyone including the handover/ takeover of the property and assets back to the real owners.

This subsequent handover/takeover process took place cordially, with Mr Clark Clever Makoni first addressing all staff present, the police, Dr Gono and his team including his lawyers who we were all gathered, followed by an address by Dr Gono also confirming why everyone had been invited.

After the two addresses which lasted about 45 mins Mr Makoni took Dr Gono and everyone on a tour of the property, including each and every room on the property, even showing him where geyser switches and electricity boards were. This tour lasted for about 90 minutes.

They (Dr Gono and Mr Makoni) shook hands and everyone joined in the applause after which Mr Makoni left at 13:45hrs for Harare, leaving Dr Gono and his team to reorganize.

All these proceedings were being officially minuted, voice-and short-video-recorded.

Mr Makoni pleaded with Dr Gono to now withdraw Galwex Investment ( Pvt) Ltd’s corruption charges from the Harare Magistrates Court due to sit on Tuesday 23 January, 2024.

He indicated that he would speak to the company representative on the matter (the official complainant: Mr George Mashonganyika who had also been harassed and arrested in Mutare on Makoni’s instructions) and hear his thoughts on the plea.

Dr Gono tendered a huge bill of expenses and legal claims running into hundreds of thousands which he wants the Makoni couple to pay. They agreed to discuss the matter in front of all lawyers on Monday 22 January, 2024.

Dr Gono promised to do the best he can about Clark Makoni’s request even though he expressed doubt that he would succeed in to convincing ZAAC, Harare HQ-CID-Commercial and RBZ, all of whom had spend considerable man hours and taxpayer’s funds on trying to get to the bottom of the matter to drop the various charges including exchange rate manipulations, money laundering, document falsifications.

As for the withdrawal of report filed with the Real Estate Council of Zimbabwe against Ark Properties ( Pvt) Ltd. Dr Gono said again he would have done his best purely on humanitarian grounds to withdraw but his hands were tied by the fact that once a report is given, on the basis of TRUTH, it would be wrong not to take the matter to its logical conclusion as The President himself is on record denouncing corruption.

A lot, Dr Gono said, could have been avoided had they (the Makoni couple) not tried to get rich quickly by defrauding an innocent family that had trusted them in the first place, …a case of biting the hand that had fed them.

Dr Gono also pointed out that in Mutare, the couple had lied under Oath and that this in itself, constituted “perjury” which could be a serious offense if pursued by the authorities.

The parties agreed to meet at Dr Gono’s offices on Monday, 22 January,2024.

Dr Gono kept asking why the police, the courts and lawyers did not ask the Makoni couple one simple question: (1)“ give us DOCUMENTS which show us WHEN you bought the property, from WHOM did you buy it, for HOW MUCH…how did you PAY for it and WHY isn’t the property REGISTERED in your name ?!

Nobody would answer, says our source who claims to have attended all the meetings and provided photos in support of his/her claims.

Efforts to contact Dr Gono to confirm the above events were fruitless as he was said to still be in Mutare. The same was the case with efforts to get confirmation from the Makoni couple.

Our source said “It remains to be seen how this matter will be dealt with to the end as it is a test case to the corruption fight and get-rich-quick-syndrome of our young generation.

“Corruption is eroding investment confidence in our country and if the pandemic is not nipped in the bud, God help all adults who may not have capacity to check their documentation or resources like Drs Gono and Mutumbuka who have been able to successfully fight their battles and win.

“Questions are being raised as to whether the heirs to the estate of these two gentlemen have been able to fight and win these cases had both or either of them been called to meet their creator earlier than before these frauds came to light,” our source continued.

“One would also hope that the authorities will conduct a thorough investigation as to why Mutare police were eager to arrest Dr Gono’s officials without first thoroughly investigating the matter which was pitting a baby-entrepreneur against a seasoned one, let alone an ex- Governor of the stature of Dr Gono, his word against someone young enough to be his son and daughter in law.

“How many such cases are going unreported or mishandled? Could it be fear of jail time that has prompted the Makoni couple to now become so gracious and pitiful with their confessions and subsequent actions? Are they sincere?

“Who were their initial lawyers and advisors into this ruinous pity of self destruction? Will Dr Gono attempt to defeat the course of justice and trade truth with reparations? All these are developments we await to hear or read about as they unfold in the next few days.

Meanwhile Nehanda Radio understands that the culprits at the Deeds Office in Harare who tampered with Dr Dzingai Mutumbuka’s title deeds to his property were identified and suspended by the Registrar of Deeds last week to facilitate investigations.

It is understood that the Registrar is in a no nonsense mood and determined to stamp out all the corruption emanating from those quarters.