Moffat Mungazi
Tendai Gukutikwa
Weekender Reporter
A SHOCKING case of estate dispute has emerged in Mutasa, where a woman, Norah Maradza, allegedly abandoned her bedridden husband five years ago, only to return after his death to claim control of his estate.
Maradza had deserted her now late husband, who later married Melody Nyamunokora in 2024, before his passing on.
The revelations came to light at Chief Mutasa’s community court last Saturday, where it was disclosed that Maradza had performed traditional wifely duties at the funeral, despite her prolonged absence.
Furthermore, Maradza allegedly applied for an eviction order to evict Nyamunokora from the homestead.
Nyamunokora presented her case, arguing that Maradza had left their matrimonial home five years prior, and had two children out of wedlock.
Maradza’s return, Nyamunokora claimed, was motivated by the desire to control the deceased’s estate.
Nyamunokora told the court that she married the late man last year, and was his primary caregiver on his death bed, changing his adult diapers and catheter.
“I married my now late husband in 2024. He told me he was divorced, and that his wife had left him three years earlier due to his ill-health. Maradza never visited during the time of my marriage. I had to clean him and manage his diapers and catheter. He had four daughters from his marriage to Maradza,” said Nyamunokora, adding that despite the health challenges, the couple shared a happy life until her hubby’s death this year.
Nyamunokora recounted the shocking events that unfolded during and after the funeral.
“Maradza took the centre stage, performing all the traditional wife rituals, while I was treated like an outsider. The family seemed to want her back, and I was no longer welcome at their homestead,” she said, adding that Maradza’s true intentions became apparent after the burial.
“She began demanding furniture from me, claiming I had no right to it. Her eldest daughter, Everjoy Mandeya, who had previously been friendly towards me, suddenly turned against me, harassing me for not bearing her father any children. Ironically, she had also been kicked out of her husband’s home for the same reason,” she said.
Nyamunokora told the court that the tension escalated into open hostility.
She alleged that Mandeya and her aunt assaulted her with burning logs, insulting her, and claiming she had no right to be there.
“I locked myself inside the house out of fear and eventually moved out temporarily when they threatened me. That is why I brought the matter to this court,” she said, further revealing that the family gave her US$250 as a token of appreciation for caring for her late husband, and as a way of paying her off to leave them.
Nyamunokora recounted her husband’s wishes for her to remain at the homestead after his death.
“They offered me US$250 as a ‘thank-you token’, and told me to leave, but my husband had instructed me to stay. I refused to be chased away like a stranger,” she argued.
Maradza defended herself against the accusations of deserting her husband.
“I did not abandon him. I left for work in Kwekwe and never divorced him. When I returned, I found him staying with Nyamunokora,” she said, further claiming that she had been working in Kwekwe for six months before her husband’s death.
“We were still married, and I was working to support my husband and children,” she said, denying forcing Nyamunokora out of the homestead.
“I did not chase her away. She left and locked the house on her own. I even reported her missing to the police. Now I am being denied access to my home. She insults me and my daughters, and she is selling my furniture and building materials,” she argued.
Maradza asserted her right to return and live at her late husband’s home as the mother of his only children.
Her daughter, Everjoy, also testified, acknowledging tensions between the parties.
“When I returned from my husband’s home, Nyamunokora would not let me cook in my mother’s kitchen. She did not suggest an alternative, so I ended up eating at my grandmother’s place. She made me feel like a stranger in my own father’s house. She was a stepmother from hell, but we never wanted her gone,” she said.
Chief Mutasa cautioned Mandeya and her sister against taking sides in their parents’ dispute.
“You were not married to the deceased – this is between your mother and your late father’s new wife. We have witnessed many cases where women abandon sick husbands and return after their deaths. This is another sad example,” he said.
Chief Mutasa emphasised Nyamunokora’s rights to the estate.
“This woman was married to the deceased and lived with him until his death. She has a right to his estate, especially since the other woman walked away years ago.”
Chief Mutasa ruled that the matter could not be handled traditionally, as it was already before the magistrates’ court.
He advised both parties to return after the legal proceedings.
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