Tendai Gukutikwa
Weekender Reporter
A BITTER inheritance feud in Honde Valley exploded last Saturday when a widow, Mildred Muzete, sensationally accused her late husband’s son of plotting to kill her in order to seize land she inherited.
The shocking allegation came as Muzete appeared before Chief Mutasa’s community court to answer claims that she destroyed and sold crops belonging to her brother in law, Nevermind Mupindi.
The dispute traces back to agricultural land Mupindi had cultivated for 16 years, producing sugarcane and pineapples.
In a previous ruling, Chief Mutasa ordered Muzete to compensate him US$28 000 after he alleged that she harvested and sold his crops despite a court order granting him time to reap them before vacating the land.
Mupindi insists he invested heavily in transforming the property into a profitable enterprise, having been allowed to use it by his sister in law. But Muzete denies depriving him of his livelihood, instead accusing him of mounting a campaign to wrest control of the land she claims as her rightful inheritance.
Addressing the court, Muzete stressed that she had no biological children with her late husband, making her the sole beneficiary of the property. She alleged that Mupindi, her stepson, has subjected her to sustained pressure — and now, she believes, is plotting to eliminate her to secure the land.
The case has laid bare deep family fractures, turning a fight over crops and compensation into a chilling battle over survival, inheritance, and trust.
“My husband left me with land, but we did not have children together. Mupindi is my stepson, and I believe he wants me out of the way so that he can take over everything my husband left behind,” she said.
Muzete further alleged that Mupindi frequently travels to neighbouring Mozambique, and fears he may be using these trips to plan harm against her.
“I am living in fear because I believe he wants me dead. He is the closest relative to my late husband, and stands to benefit if I am no longer here,” said that widow, further claiming that Mupindi contacted her brothers in an attempt to challenge her right to remain on the property.
“He has approached my brothers and told them that when my husband married me, I did not own any land,” she said.
Despite the accusations, Muzete denied personally benefiting from the sale of Mupindi’s produce.
She maintained that it was Mupindi himself who harvested and sold the crops in markets outside Honde Valley.
“He has been transporting and selling his produce in Mutare and Harare,” she said.
Muzete also said she could not afford the US$28 000 compensation proposed following an assessment by Agricultural and Rural Development Advisory Services officers.
“I simply do not have that kind of money,” she said.
The court previously heard that Mupindi had occupied and developed the land for 16 years, cultivating extensive sugarcane and pineapple plantations.
According to Mupindi, he complied with an earlier directive from Chief Mutasa’s court ordering him to vacate the land after Muzete sought to reclaim it.
He told the court that he had been given time to harvest his crops before leaving the property.
However, he alleged that before he could do so, Muzete obtained an eviction order from the Magistrates’ Court, and instructed workers to cut down and dispose of his crops.
Mupindi accused Muzete of working with Jacob Nyamutuma and several labourers who allegedly harvested and sold the produce without his consent.
During the previous hearing, one of the workers, Simon Chikomba, admitted that he and two others had cut down the crops acting under Muzete’s instructions.
Agritex officers later assessed the alleged losses and placed the value of the destroyed crops and related developments at US$28 000.
Chief Mutasa criticised what he described as disregard of a standing court order prohibiting interference with the crops pending Mupindi’s harvest.
After hearing Muzete’s testimony, the traditional leader withheld a final ruling, and announced plans to inspect the disputed property.
Chief Mutasa said he would conduct a site visit accompanied by police officers before making a determination.
The traditional leader said the inspection will help establish the facts surrounding ownership of the crops, the extent of the alleged losses and the circumstances under which the produce was harvested and sold.
Widow, stepson in bitter inheritance tiff
