HARARE, Zimbabwe – Veteran Zimbabwean music producer and former Oliver Mtukudzi guitarist Clive Mono Mukundu has shared a deeply personal account of how he lost his dream home after allegedly being duped by estate agents in a property deal that left him emotionally scarred for more than two decades.
By Advent Shoko
Mukundu’s story, originally shared on February 21, 2026, has gained renewed relevance amid ongoing demolitions of houses in and around Harare, where authorities have targeted structures built on illegally acquired land and undesignated sites. Thousands of home seekers have over the years fallen victim to land barons and fraudulent property schemes, often losing life savings in the process.
For Mukundu, however, the pain predates the current housing crisis.
The respected guitarist says the experience has remained an open wound since 2004.
“I don’t know the whole story, but it reminded me of a wound I’ve had since 2004, and it’s something I think about every day. I’m not being poetic; I actually think about it every day,” he said.
Saving Every Dollar
Mukundu said his fortunes changed when he joined the late music icon Oliver Mtukudzi’s band on February 4, 2003.
Rather than splurging on luxury items often associated with celebrity lifestyles, he and his wife made a deliberate decision to save towards buying a family home.
“After joining Oliver Mtukudzi’s band on February 4, 2003, I noticed that my pay was higher than that of any previous band or organization I had worked for. Instead of rushing to buy expensive clothes, a car, or relocate from Mfakose to a more affluent area, my wife and I decided to save for a house in a neighborhood that we could afford – Warren Park,” he said.
At the time, Mukundu was touring extensively across Europe, Africa and the United States with Mtukudzi, one of Zimbabwe’s most celebrated musicians.
Despite the increased income, the family continued living modestly in a rented apartment in Mfakose and relied on public transport while channeling their earnings into the property purchase.
“We still took public transportation, and I was mocked several times for taking kombis while performing with the country’s biggest band. We were saving every cent,” he recalled.
The Deal That Turned Into a Nightmare
After identifying a house in Warren Park through an estate agency near Herald House in Harare’s central business district, Mukundu said he believed he was dealing with trustworthy individuals.
He admitted that age and appearance influenced his judgment.
“The biggest mistake we made was to trust the old men running the agency, Kenneth Madora, Tandwa Dyiwa, and Charles Samuriwo, at face value, simply because of their ages,” he said.
“When we met the lady who owned the house being sold, Christine Munyengeterwa, an elderly lady born in 1957, we assumed she couldn’t be a fraud given her age as well. So I abandoned the idea of hiring a lawyer, which turned out to be the biggest mistake.”
By early January 2004, the family had completed paying for the property and believed ownership had been successfully transferred.
That belief was shattered almost immediately.
“When I went to their offices to make moving arrangements, I received the most unexpected shock of my life,” Mukundu said.
“We discovered a small crowd of more than 15 people at the estate agent offices, and after inquiring, I was told that the agents had sold a specific Warren Park house to more than ten people, and upon further investigation, I was shocked to learn that I was one of the victims.”
The revelation left him devastated.
“I recall being nearly hit by a car while looking at it in the street due to stress. That’s when I understood the distinction between seeing and perceiving.”
Seeking Justice
Mukundu said efforts to seek justice through the police and courts yielded little progress.
According to his account, he was told by individuals familiar with the matter that the alleged fraudsters enjoyed protection from powerful connections.
“We reported the problem to the police, but nothing happened,” he said.
“One man who knew them told me that because the old men are so well-connected, arresting them would be difficult.”
Mukundu further alleged that one of the estate agents openly boasted about political protection.
“Kenneth Madora, one of the bogus estate agents, had the audacity to call me one evening and told me that reporting them to the police was foolish because they were politically connected.”
The statement that stayed with him most was blunt and dismissive.
“Hapana zvaunotiita mupfanha (You will not do anything to us).”
“Later, after years of trying, that statement was proven correct,” Mukundu said.
Years in Court, No Resolution
The musician said he and his family spent years pursuing the matter through lawyers and court processes, often at considerable financial cost.
Despite numerous appearances and legal interventions, he said the case repeatedly stalled.
“We attended a number of court sessions. We would go to court, the old men would be absent, and we would be told, ‘Next time we will bring them in handcuffs,’” he said.
“The old men would be given dates that we were not informed of, and the case would be dismissed because ‘the accusers are not present’, while the lawyers continued to demand payment.”
He also recounted an incident in which he personally helped apprehend one of the suspects, only for the effort to end in frustration.
“When we arrived at the police station, the officers assumed I was the one who defrauded the elderly man due to our age difference,” he said.
“Anyway, he was later released as we had been told.”
A Defeat He Never Truly Accepted
By 2008, after years of legal battles and mounting costs, Mukundu and his wife decided to stop pursuing the matter.
“Sometimes you just have to accept defeat and move on,” he recalled telling his wife.
Yet he admits the emotional impact never disappeared.
“The moving on we did was simply to avoid going to courts, but in my heart, I haven’t moved an inch.”
Years later, in June 2015, Mukundu encountered one of the men he says was involved in the deal.
The meeting ended with an apology.
“I am now a Christian, and I am truly sorry,” the man reportedly told him.
Mukundu’s response reflected the depth of the hurt.
“Maybe God forgave you, but I will never forgive you.”
A Warning for Home Seekers
Mukundu’s experience highlights the risks that many Zimbabweans continue to face in the property market, where fraudulent sales, disputed ownership claims and illegal land allocations have left countless families financially devastated.
As authorities intensify action against illegal settlements around Harare, his story serves as a reminder that the consequences of property fraud can extend far beyond financial loss.
For Mukundu, the dream house he worked for while touring the world with one of Zimbabwe’s greatest musicians never became a home.
More than two decades later, he says it remains a loss he thinks about every single day.
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