Kangai’s family fight over estate

By Tendai Kamhungira

HARARE – The late national hero Kumbirai Kangai’s family is embroiled in a bitter estate wrangle, with some of the children claiming that they are being barred from their father’s house.

Kangai passed away in August last year and was declared a national hero. He was a Zanu PF politburo member and a former Cabinet minister.

Eight of his children have since petitioned the Master of High Court over the estate.

Marah Hativagone, Enea Nyunyuto, Freedom, Ngwarirai, Manyika, Rwatinyanya, Musadaro and Tiriwamambo Kangai have told the Master of the High Court that their late father’s estate is being abused.

In their petition, they claim the late Kangai’s wife Miriam Rehwai Loice Kangai and the other two children Fungai Kudzai and Muchatenda are the ones abusing the estate.

“The three beneficiaries led by Miriam Rehwai Loice Kangai have been withdrawing funds from sales rather than profit, which action is tantamount to failure of the project,” the children said, adding that the trio was running Paarl Farm Property Development project into bankruptcy.

The children called for an audit of the financial and administrative affairs of the Paarl Farm project being run by Datco.

“Fungai Kudzai Kangai cannot desist from the habit of selling anything belonging to our late father that he lays his hands on. This, he practised even when our late father was still alive,” they said, further claiming that Fungai had sold timber and asbestos sheets that he removed from the tobacco barn.

In the petition, Kangai’s children told the Master of the High Court that in his will, the late national hero had given 10 percent of his estate to Buhera South Ward 19, while the rest was to be shared among the 11 beneficiaries.

According to the will, Miriam was awarded 50 percent of the estate. They alleged Miriam was now monopolising the estate.

“The eight of us have been barred from accessing the estate’s assets, including entrance to the homestead, 25 Glen Forest, where our late father stayed to the day of his death, which action is inhuman and a total violation of the will…,” the children said.

They further told the Master of High Court that security guards keep a list of names of people who should be allowed to enter the premises.

“This directive was temporarily waivered on the day a memorial service for the late Kangai was held, which many of us did not attend in protest,” they said.

They said it was clear that Miriam was taking them as outlaws, who had no authority to be in any one of their late father’s estate.

They further said that Miriam was refusing with title deeds of the farm and their father’s Glen Forest house, adding that one of the family cars was being driven by Tonderai Jakachira, who is not a beneficiary to the estate.

According to their petition, Kangai’s children want a revaluation of the estate, claiming its value is depreciating on a daily basis.

“The present situation at the property development project at Paarl Farm is placing us in a vulnerable position making us liable to debts that we never incurred,” they said.

The children want the master of the High Court’s office to allow the executrix to dispose all movable and immovable assets registered under their father’s estate and deposit the funds into a trust account for later distribution after the claims have been cleared by the courts.

They further advocated for the freeze of any access to the estate’s funds by any beneficiary, including Miriam, Fungai and Muchatenda.

“Our petition is for your office to allow distribution of estate since there are now valid reports confirming that the deceased held 100 percent shares in the Luna Estates Company,” they said.

Master of High Court Eldard Mutasa has since written a letter dated September 30 to the executor, asking her to look into the issues raised by Kangai’s children and respond within 14 days. Daily News