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Andile Tshuma, Court Reporter
A 53-YEAR-OLD Thorngrove suburb man has appeared in court for allegedly stealing his landlord’s house.

Phillip Ndlovu appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Mr Tinashe Tashaya facing forgery and theft charges.

He pleaded not guilty and was remanded out of custody pending the engagement of a signature specialist to deal with the forgery issue.

For the State, Mr Busani Moyo said sometime in July last year, Ndlovu approached Emily Mathe (59) looking for a house to lease. Mathe allegedly agreed to lease her five roomed house along Wentworth Road in Thorngrove suburb to Ndlovu.

“In July 2015, the accused approached the complainant looking for a house to rent. The complainant indeed agreed that she had a house to be rented belonging to her son, Nkosilathi Mathe, who is based in the United Kingdom,” said the prosecutor.

The court heard that a verbal agreement was reached that the accused would pay $300 per month in rentals.

However, that month, Ndlovu allegedly only managed to pay $270 and promised to pay the difference later. Mr Moyo told the court that in September last year, Mathe gave Ndlovu the power of attorney to manage some of her businesses while she was away in the United Kingdom.

Ndlovu allegedly took Mathe’s signature and National ID number from the power of attorney document and used it to steal her house.

“The accused scanned the complainant’s signature and produced a fake acknowledgement receipt, claiming that he had bought house Number 3, Wentworth Road, Thorngrove, Bulawayo.  Mathe returned from the United Kingdom a month later and asked for rentals from Ndlovu, who started giving excuses and postponing payment dates,” said the prosecutor.

“The accused person kept on giving excuses until Mathe was forced to approach the Rent Board and file a report, on March 17, this year.

“The Rent Board issued a directive that Ndlovu should vacate Mathe’s premises before March 31, 2016. The accused person allegedly failed to vacate the house and only returned later with a fake acknowledgement receipt, claiming that the complainant had sold him the house for $23 000.”
Mathe reported the matter to the police.

@andile_tshuma