CHARLES MUSONDA writes
@SunZambia
A WITNESS has testified how three men allegedly sold her land belonging to Minister of General Education David Mabumba.
Violet Tembo Roberts was testifying in a case in which two men and a ministry of Lands officer have been charged for obtaining money by false pretenses involving K50,000.
The three are Joseph Mudada, Moses Ngowani, and Alfred Kalaba.
She said in October 2017, her mother met Mudada who told her that he was selling land in Shantumbu Chalala for K300, 000.
She said after negotiations he reduced the price to K200, 000.
Ms. Roberts said after Mudada agreed to be paid in installments, he was given an initial K50,000 and Ngowani signed on the sale agreement as a witness.
She said Mudada then introduced Kalaba as a Ministry of Lands officer who would process the documents for the title and that he was paid K10,000 out of the K50,000.
“As we were waiting for change of ownership, we decided to put up a boundary wall fence.
“But later a neighbour informed my mother that the land belonged to the minister and she even gave her his number,” said Ms Roberts.
When the minister was contacted he confirmed that the land in question was indeed his and he gave a plot number for the buyer to do a search at the Ministry of Lands.
She said a printout at the Ministry showed Mr. Mabumba’s name as the official owner.
She said when they approached Mudada he insisted that the plot was his but failed to secure the title for it until the matter was reported to police in November 2017.
The three men were later arrested on December 23, 2017.
Trial continues on April 9 before Lusaka Magistrate Silvia Munyinya.
