Harare, Zimbabwe | A prominent Harare lawyer Stanislaus Munyaradzi Bwanya has exposed his complainant in the matter he is accused of perjury, extortion and forgery during the cross examination.
Harare lawyer Stanislaus Munyaradzi Bwanya, who is representing himself in court, recently cross-examined former Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission commissioner Farai Mashonganyika, the complainant in the case where Bwanya faces charges of perjury, extortion, and forgery.
Mashonganyika, a cousin of former first lady Grace Mugabe, testified that Bwanya pressured her to surrender 2,000 square meters of land in exchange for dropping court proceedings.
She stated that she had paid US$10,000 in development fees to Arosume Property Development and an additional US$4,000 to the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works for the land’s intrinsic value. As a result, she was granted title deed number 5690/2011 for the property.
However, during cross-examination, Bwanya presented several documents that appeared to contradict Mashonganyika’s claims. She had initially accused Bwanya of cancelling her title deeds without her knowledge, but Bwanya produced evidence showing that the cancellation was initiated by the Ministry of Local Government and the then-Minister, July Moyo. Bwanya submitted a letter from Moyo dated April 2022, notifying Mashonganyika of the ministry’s intention to cancel her title deeds.
Also read: Former ZACC Commissioner ‘Farai Mashonganyika-Chinyani’ Arrested for Malicious Destruction of Property
He also presented a General Notice 2402, newspaper notices, and a government gazette that indicated Mashonganyika was among 14 individuals whose deeds were cancelled for failing to pay the full intrinsic value of their land.
Despite these revelations, Mashonganyika continued to assert that Bwanya was responsible for the cancellation of her title deeds. Bwanya further questioned her about an affidavit she had claimed he submitted with false information, but upon reading the document in court, it was revealed that the affidavit was actually filed by someone named Calvin Mpofu.
Mashonganyika questioned why Bwanya had access to certain court documents that she did not possess, but Magistrate Ethel Chichera clarified that as public records, Bwanya was entitled to use them to support his defense. The magistrate emphasized that Bwanya had the right to provide evidence to exonerate himself from the allegations made against him.
Bwanya, who denies all charges, has labeled them as malicious and driven by Mashonganyika’s misuse of state resources. He insists that he never misrepresented himself as a conveyancer, affirming that he is a fully registered conveyancer who acted on behalf of Arosume Property Development Private Limited, and provided supporting letters to that effect.
Regarding the forgery accusations, Bwanya argued that Mashonganyika has not presented any proof of forged documents. He maintains that he did not mislead the High Court, asserting that any papers filed belong to the litigants rather than their legal representatives.
Bwanya also denies the extortion charges, alleging that his arrest and prosecution are motivated by Mashonganyika’s attempt to avoid accountability for illegally occupying state land.
Bwanya further claims that he never met Mashonganyika in person; their only interaction was a brief phone conversation lasting seven minutes and 36 seconds, during which they did not discuss her land or the litigation.
He states that there is an audio recording of this call that supports his version of events.
The trial has been postponed to September 16 for continuation. Bwanya remains firm in his stance, maintaining his innocence and challenging the credibility of the allegations against him.
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