Florence (née Behane) Pambukani and Felix Pambukani, a notorious couple previously convicted and jailed for fraud, have been defrauding desperate home seekers at Crowhill Farm in Harare.
The land is owned by Crowhill Private Limited, but the Pambukanis have caused large financial losses by tricking many gullible purchasers into thinking they are the real owners.
The 121.4029 hectare Chirika Extension of Borrowdale Estate is the land in question; it is owned via a transfer deed. The pair has persisted in their fraudulent actions in spite of a 2021 High Court decision from Justice Webster Chinamora, which was later affirmed by the Supreme Court and forbade the Pambukanis from selling the land.
According to court records that iHarare was able to collect, the High Court mandated that all unauthorized inhabitants of the property be forced to leave. Plot buyers have, however, resisted being forced to leave their properties, leading to a stalemate with the High Court’s Sheriff.
A letter from Crowhill Farm requesting the concerned persons to regularize their status or risk being evicted has been sent to them. Due to the couple’s fraudulent actions, a large number of desperate land seekers are in a risky situation and have suffered significant financial losses.
The Pambukanis had already served eight years in prison for scamming Lonrho Zimbabwe, according to a legal occupant of Crowhill Farm. Following their release, they made their way to Acorn Farm, where they were originally helped by the locals. However, Florence’s criminal history prevented her from running in the Acorn Farm leadership elections in 2017.
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The homeowner clarified that Florence had formed the Acorn Township Developing Association in secret with the intention of financially benefiting herself and her husband. She had done this by using her knowledge of available stands. The Pambukanis have been misleading a lot of people by selling and leasing land that is well beyond their legitimate holdings, even though they only possess one stand in Cleverhill Estate.
Attempts to obtain a response from the Pambukanis proved fruitless as their phones remained unanswered.
In addition, the pair is charged with name-dropping, which involves fabricating ties with high-ranking government officials in order to threaten and drive farmers off their property. They allegedly recruited armed goons to attack employees at Wakefield Farm in the Selous Area 5, which they attempted to take from Kenneth Bartholomew, the property’s owner, last year. Several of the farm laborers are currently receiving care at Chegutu Hospital after suffering serious injuries.
After the Pambukanis took over Wakefield Farm, 35 families—including those with little children and elderly residents—were forced to leave. In 2011, Bartholomew was forcibly removed from his farm, even though he had official permission from the Agriculture Minister to remain there. After the Pambukanis unlawfully seized control of Scotsdale Farm in 2008, the farm’s legitimate owner, Kobus Joubert, passed away in 2010, and all of the farm workers were forced to leave their homes.
Numerous innocent people have suffered and lost money as a result of the couple’s violent and dishonest actions.
