‘Familiarise with inheritance issues’

FIRST Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa has urged women in Manicaland to research and equip themselves with knowledge on inheritance issues to ensure that they are not affected by disputes that might arise in the event of the death of their spouses.

In a speech read on her behalf by Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa during a meeting on her inheritance programme at Mutare Queens Hall yesterday, she said lack of knowledge was identified as the most common problem that was leading many widows to lose their property to in-laws.

“Many women have been left with nothing after losing their husbands because of lack of knowledge on the laws that protect them. The lack of information has been identified as the major hindrance in solving inheritance disputes and this is why the programme was established, to bring knowledge to the people,” she said.

She urged hundreds of people who attended the meeting to share the knowledge that they were going to acquire with others so that everyone could benefit from the programme.

She reiterated that her programme was apolitical and was meant for everyone who was affected by inheritance disputes.

Minister Mutsvangwa hailed the First Lady for identifying a gap in the needs of families left behind after a bereavement and coming up with ways to address them.

Speaking at the same event, Minister of State for Manicaland Dr Ellen Gwaradzimba hailed the programme which she said would help bring inheritance issues to the fore and help numerous families that have been torn apart by inheritance disputes.

“We should not leave out the widowers in this programme because men are also affected by inheritance disputes as much as women and children,” she said.

She said, the extended family system was now defunct as families were no longer taking care of orphaned children constituted a large portion of children on the streets.

Master of the High Court Mr Eldard Mutasa, officials from the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Law Society of Zimbabwe, Generations Executor Services among others also made presentations to educate the people on inheritance law and how they can avoid inheritance disputes.

Mr Mutasa said most women were being taken advantage of because they did not know their rights.

“Some relatives take advantage of widows and use culture as an excuse to grab the deceased’s property. You have to know that culture cannot take precedence over the law so when relatives grab the deceased’s property soon after burial claiming to be fulfilling cultural rites, they are actually breaking the law,” he said.

“No law allows for this greedy behaviour and we need to increase education among the people so that they are not hoodwinked into giving relatives the deceased’s property in the name of culture. Empower yourself so that you do not fall victim.”

He urged all widows or widowers who have encounters problems after the death of a spouse to visit the Master of the High Court’s provincial office at Mutare High Court.

The First Lady initiated the programme after realising how widows, widowers and orphans were losing property upon the death of their spouses and parents.

The programme is meant to educate them on their rights through bringing in experts on inheritance issues who are equipping them with knowledge on legal matters.

The First Lady has so far conducted fully subscribed meetings in Harare, Midlands, Masvingo, Mashonaland Central and West provinces.