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Masvingo– A Masvingo man remains in custody after the Judicial Service Commission’s Integrated Electronic Case Management System(IECMS) reportedly failed to process an electronically paid bail of US$150, despite a Masvingo magistrate Caroline Tofara Nyoni granting his release on fraud-related charges involving land at Glyn Tor Farm on the outskirts of the ancient.
The 1st accused, chairman of Trabablas Collective Society Limited, Tariro Bwerinofa, spent a night in Remand prisons after his bail payment did not reflect the prisons system on Tuesday 11 November and was still in custody by the time of going to print.
Government introduced IECMS to improve Judiciary accessibility, efficiency and resilience but the network facing the system seems to be failing them.
Bwerinofa’s Lawyer, Dereck Charamba confirmed the challenge.
“He was granted bail but the system had some challenges and he had to spend the night in the prison cells, we paid his bail but it is not showing up at the Remand prison so he has not been released yet,” said Charamba.
The second accused party is a Trabablass Collective Cooperative Society Limited member who is yet to be arrested.
The complainant in the matter is the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture and Fisheries.
Allegations according to Court documents indicate that, around 2019, the accused conspired to defraud the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture and Fisheries of eight hectares of land at Glyn Tor Farm in Masvingo, a parcel that had been acquired by the Zimbabwean government and gazetted in 2001.
The pair reportedly established an enterprise named Trabablas Projects and had it registered on 11 July 2019.
In November 2022, the accused obtained a Special Application for State land for a parcel on Glyn Tor Farm, which was submitted to the ministry’s Masvingo offices for approval.
Following internal consents, the ministry recommended the application to Masvingo Rural District Council and the ministry’s Harare head office, which subsequently approved the request.
The land was then subdivided into residential stands and offered to prospective buyers, who received offer letters.
In a subsequent development on 12 February 2025, the accused applied for a change of use of the land to the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Fisheries.
Prosecutor, Godfrey Mugonde, told the court that the misrepresentations indicated the accused did not intend to pursue agricultural projects as claimed, but rather sought to subdivide and dispose of the land for residential purposes without the landowner’s consent.
The State alleges that these actions caused actual prejudice to eight hectares of land, with the monetary value yet to be determined and, so far, no restitution has been recovered.
The case is proceeding in Masvingo, with the bail issue currently unresolved due to the IECMS system faults affecting electronic bail processing.
While the magistrate had granted bail of US$150, the funds have not yet reflected at the Masvingo remand prison network, and the accused remains in custody as of the latest proceedings, potentially indefinitely.
The accused is denying the charges saying the never sold the land for housing stands.
He was remanded to 26 November for routine appearance.
