Bulawayo officials want to flatten a massive 13-room house at 15 Pingstone Road in Kumalo after auditors discovered the property had changed hands illegally for almost 40 years without proper paperwork or approved building plans. Raphael Masuku complained when he noticed construction happening on what he thought was his land, and the city dug into records that showed at least four different people claiming ownership since Girlie Malunga bought the stand back in 1987, but died 10 months later.
Her husband, Joseph Bingo Malunga, never paid the full amount or developed the lot on time, and things got messy with sketchy transfers and missing files before a court gave it to Thabani Mguni's estate. Mguni's widow sold it to some guy named Fanwell Zouma from South Africa, who built the giant mansion without permission. Auditors roasted the council for selling the original stand for way below value and never chasing the unpaid balance, which made them look either incompetent or shady.
Councillors voted to demolish everything once the paperwork goes through because letting this slide would encourage more people to skip proper procedures and just lawyer up instead.
Her husband, Joseph Bingo Malunga, never paid the full amount or developed the lot on time, and things got messy with sketchy transfers and missing files before a court gave it to Thabani Mguni's estate. Mguni's widow sold it to some guy named Fanwell Zouma from South Africa, who built the giant mansion without permission. Auditors roasted the council for selling the original stand for way below value and never chasing the unpaid balance, which made them look either incompetent or shady.
Councillors voted to demolish everything once the paperwork goes through because letting this slide would encourage more people to skip proper procedures and just lawyer up instead.
