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Chronicle Reporter
A BULILIMA family in Matabeleland South has reportedly clashed over the disbursement of their late relative’s inheritance, with some family member even threatening the mother and the children of the deceased against claiming the inheritance.
The family of the late business man and popular rancher, France Dube, who died in August 2011, have come up in arms with his bereaved wife- Lister Nyoka- and children threatening them and also alleging that his property did not belong to them.
So bloody are the fights that the late businessman’s son, Maxwell Nyoka, has since reportedly escaped to neighbouring South Africa after some family members threatened him with death, for laying claim to the inheritance.
According to African tradition, the first born son of the deceased is the rightful heir to whatever inheritance is left behind.
Maxwell, who was 13-years-old when his father passed away in 2011, has had a section of the family together with his mother pushing that he inherits his father’s businesses and cattle but another section led by Dube’s brothers have been firmly against this.
“When Dube passed away in 2011, some relatives took it for granted that Maxwell would inherit everything left by his father but since he was young this was going to be done through his mother, however the deceased’s brothers were against as they felt that all the property should be managed by them.
“There was a back and forth fight, even at one point the traditional leadership tried to intervene to no avail, this has been dragging on for four years until most recently Maxwell had to escape to neighbouring South Africa as he was now even being threatened with death and his mother now feared that she could lose her son, worse still that he was now about to reach the majority age of 18 and even the courts of law could award him this inheritance,” said a family member who declined to be named.
Maxwell’s uncles are said to have taken advantage of the squabbles and his tender age to illegally sell off the property since Dube’s death in 2011. So intense are the squabbles that the uncles are also alleged to have burnt down Lister’s homestead while she was inside, although she managed to escape after sustaining some burns on her body.
“As it stands, even Lister is in trouble because the uncles have accused her of intervening in a family issue and even threatened her when she attempted to report the matter to the police after she had discovered that they were now selling off some of the deceased’s property. As it is Lister’s homestead was also burnt down while she was inside, suspectedly by the uncles, she suffered serious burns and had to seek medical treatment, that is how ugly the fight has become,” said the relative.
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