Online Reporter
Gibson Mhaka
A BULAWAYO woman, Angela Havnar (66), is grieving what she calls a second loss of her beloved sister after her ashes were allegedly seized and sold along with her belongings during an eviction from Muus Lodge Retirement Home in Shurugwi.
The incident, which occurred on 20 December 2022, has left Angela devastated. She says the ashes of her sister Elizabeth, who died in May 2000, were kept in a large pink vase that was taken along with personal documents including her birth certificate, ID, and passport when the Messenger of Court enforced an eviction order granted to Muus Lodge.
“You know, when you lose someone, you hold onto every little piece of them. That vase was my last connection to Elizabeth. She was my life. Losing her ashes is like I lost her again,” said Angela, visibly emotional.
She claims the eviction was triggered after she contested a rent increase she deemed unfair. “I was trying to stand up for myself. But that led to a nightmare I’m still living. I owed about US$500, but the value of the property they took far exceeded that,” she said.
Angela says she was away in Bulawayo visiting her ill sister when the eviction took place. She returned to find her unit locked and all her possessions gone.
“I was left on the streets of Shurugwi. The committee only called me after everything was taken. When I finally managed to ask about my things, they coldly said everything had been sold, including the pink vase,” she said.
Adding to her frustration, Angela says there was no formal notice of eviction. “There was no warrant of eviction or execution shown to me. I wasn’t even given an inventory of what was taken. No due process. I’ve tried to get help from Government institutions, but nothing has worked.”
She believes the retirement home violated her rights and cited Section 30(2) of the Rent Regulations, Statutory
Instrument 32 of 2007, which states that a landlord must give a tenant three months’ written notice before eviction.
Angela is now desperately seeking help to recover her sister’s ashes and her identity documents.
“My greatest pain is not losing my possessions, but the horrifying thought that my sister’s final resting place was sold like a piece of furniture. I just want her back,” she pleaded.
When contacted for comment, Sharon Blaver, a senior member of the Muus Lodge committee, declined to take responsibility.
“I don’t want anything going in the newspaper. I’m not the only committee member. This lady is nothing but trouble,” she said.
Blaver claimed the matter was handled legally through the courts and the Sheriff. “She makes different claims every time. She even told police we killed 22 of her rabbits, but she only had two. I would be careful with what this lady tells you,” she added.
Angela, however, remains adamant. “This is not about rabbits. It is about my sister. Her soul was in that urn. And now it is gone.”
