Online Reporter
Tendai Gukutikwa
Weekender Reporter
TEMPERS flared at Chief Mutasa’s community court last Saturday, when Judith Mbona, of Honde Valley, accused her three brothers —Tatenda, Tapiwa, and Regison — of attempting to disinherit and evict her from their late parents’ land.
Judith alleged that her brothers previously promised to build her a house at their parents’ homestead after rescuing her from an abusive marriage. However, she expressed shock that they are now considering her a stranger at the homestead, and sold the land she was farming on.
Judith said their late father instructed her brothers to care for her before his death in 2003, and following his wishes, the brothers had taken her back home after her marriage collapsed.
“My brothers rescued me from my abusive husband, fulfilling our late father’s instruction before his death. Upon my return, they promised to build me a three-roomed house at our late parents’ homestead. I purchased 42 sheets of asbestos and 7 000 bricks, eager to start the construction project. My brothers gave me the nod to build, but everything later changed,” said Judith.
She alleged that her younger brother, Tatenda, suddenly turned against her, hurling insults, and accusing her of promiscuity.
“Tatenda shouted at me, saying they would not allow someone like me to stay at the family homestead. He ordered me to sell my bricks, but I hesitated after dreaming of my parents warning me not to sell any land. Ironically, Tatenda was selling part of the land to Kazetete, who later encouraged me to take this matter to the chief’s court,” she said.
Judith further accused her brothers of deception.
“My brothers misled me, telling me not to leave the homestead, saying it will collapse if I did. They later sold the land. If they had been honest from the start, I would have made alternative plans,” she told the court.
However, her brothers presented a different narrative. Tatenda denied the allegations, arguing that Judith had abandoned the family during a difficult time.
“When our parents passed away, we shared the property, but Judith chose to leave. She refused to stay with us, despite being young and needing guidance. Months later, her children returned, saying she had left for Botswana. We had to care for them,” he said.
Tatenda further claimed Judith complicated matters by returning with an additional child whose father is unknown.
“She came back with another child, insisting that they will all stay at the homestead. That is why we are conflicting. We are not being cruel — she has brought more problems into the family. That child should be taken back to his father’s family,” he said.
Her other brother, Tapiwa, countered Judith’s claims, insisting that she had a history of rejecting the accommodation they offered her.
“After our mother’s passing in 2012, Judith had already left her husband’s home. She left her two children with our mother, who raised them.
“Our uncle suggested she stays in our mother’s kitchen hut, but she claimed it was too small for her furniture. We offered her a room in the main house, but she was not satisfied. She demanded separate land to build on, which we could not provide,” he said.
Tapiwa added that their uncle also offered Judith his own homestead, but she declined the offer.
“We tried to offer her alternative land, but she kept insisting on building on our late parents’ homestead. That is the real issue,” he said.
Regison corroborated Tapiwa’s account, arguing that they had made several offers of alternative land, all of which Judith had rejected.
“We are not chasing her away, but she wants something we cannot provide. She insists on building where our parents lived, despite the land having already been shared. We have done everything we can to accommodate her,” he said.
The dispute reached a boiling point in court, with neither side willing to compromise.
Chief Mutasa expressed disappointment in the siblings for allowing the matter to escalate into hostility instead of resolving it amicably as a family.
“This is your parents’ land, and you should not treat each other like enemies over it. However, Judith, your brothers want your children to be with their respective fathers. If they allow you to stay at the family home, that should be respected. You must also respect the arrangements made by elders in the past,” said Chief Mutasa.
Judith agreed to return her youngest child to his father in Makoni, as her two older children had already been returned to their fathers by her brothers. Consequently, Chief Mutasa ruled that Judith be allowed to continue staying in her mother’s kitchen hut and the main house, where she had been allocated a room.
He also permitted her to continue farming the portion of land she had previously used.
Chief Mutasa also advised Tatenda to heed instructions from his older siblings and refrain from taking matters into his own hands.
