‘Stepmum sold my family home’
MBABANE – A woman has revealed how she was shocked to see her family home being sold on Facebook.
The 27-year-old woman, Fundile Hlophe, alleged that the home was sold by her stepmother, Sijabulile Hlophe.
Fundile now lives with her biological mother, following that her father’s home was sold to a Dube family.
According to Fundile, around midlast year, she saw her father’s home being advertised in one of the real estate agents pages on Facebook. She said she contacted the real estate agent with the aim to confirm if it was really her family home that was being advertised. She mentioned that the advert stated that the three-bedroom mansion was being sold at E240 000 auction price, yet the evaluation of the home might indicate that it was over E1 million.
Profession
The daughter of the deceased, Sizwe Hlophe, who was a teacher by profession, said she was not startled by the price, but the fact that her stepmother was selling her father’s home. Fundile is the only child of the deceased, while her stepmother did not have a child with the late Sizwe (her father).
She explained before the King’s Liaising Officer Thamsanqa Thikazi, that she called the agent and asked for directions to the home. She said the agent volunteered the information, hence she confirmed that it was indeed her father’s home that was being sold. In addition, she said she asked for her stepmother’s contacts from the agent after she had told him who she was, but the agent refused. Fundile said she then tried to get people who might have her stepmother’s contacts to find out the reasons for selling the home. Fundile said she was unsuccessful, until she went to Buka, an area located in Ezulwini, where her parental homestead is located. She said when she got home, there was no one and she asked the neighbours if they knew of anyone staying at her family home.
Fundile said the last time she was home was in 2014 just after the passing of her father. She said that after her father’s passing, life was extremely difficulty for her. She revealed before the King’s liaising officer that even when her father was alive, her stepmother wouldn’t cater for her needs if her father did not buy groceries in that month.
Belonged
She said the neighbours told her that her home belonged to a Dube family and her stepmother had left.
She said she managed to get her stepmother’s contacts from the neighbour. After hearing the startling news, she said she had no idea of what to do until she was referred to Umhluma Women and Youth Foundation. The foundation advocates for widows and orphans’ land and inheritance rights. The organisation’s Director, Lungelo Zulu, said they then referred the matter to Manzini King’s Liaising Officer, Thamsanqa Thikazi, where it was heard on Thursday.
Fundile said when she called her, the stepmother confirmed that she indeed sold the home. Fundile said her stepmother explained to her that she sold the home because she heard rumours that her in-laws wanted her out of the home because she had no child with Sizwe.
Meanwhile, Sijabulile admitted before the officer that she sold the home. In her defence, she said she felt that she was also entitled to ownership of the home. She explained that when she got married to the late Sizwe, he had a one-room house, and then the big house was built while she was already married to him.
Wrong
She added that she had also been told that the in-laws wanted her out of the home. Sijabulile said she felt that the Hlophe family was wrong to want her out because her mother-inlaw was not married to her fatherin-law. Further, she also heard that one of her late husband’s younger brothers said he was coming to fulfil his brother duties through a custom called kungenwa.
“I heard that one of his brothers utocentsa,” she said. Sijabulile said she then took a decision to sell the home.
“I am very sorry, I know I was inconsiderate of my husband’s daughter. I was just tempted,” she said.
It was revealed that for the E240 000 that the home was advertised for, Cyprian Dube from Moneni and Dlamini ended up agreeing on a selling price of E220 000, of which Dube had paid E175 000 and spent E28 000 on renovations.