Children fight over late general’s estate

By The NewsDay | Aug. 8, 2015 | 3 Min read

CHILDREN of the late former Air Force commander and national hero, Air Marshal Josiah Tungamirai, are fighting over their father’s estate.

by Everson Mushava

Some of the children accused their brothers, Thomas and Tawanda, of being extravagant, claiming the two had squandered their late father’s estate by cruising in a fleet of SUVs, which they bought using their father’s will that was initially rejected by the High Court.

There were allegations that while the two plundered their father’s estate, the rest of the six children were wallowing in poverty.

It was alleged that as a result, one of the six affected children had since accumulated a school fees debt of $34 000 in the United Kingdom, while another child was said to have turned into a tout in order to earn a living.

Contacted for comment, Thomas, who is employed by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, referred questions to his lawyer Gift Nyandoro who was not answering calls before his mobile phone became unreachable.

Tawanda, a Zanu PF councillor in Darwendale, was also not picking calls and did not respond to text messages sent on his mobile phone.

“You can talk to my lawyer as he is the best person to give you all the details,” Thomas said. “The issue of my father’s estate has been a roller coaster since his death 10 years ago.”

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The late Tungamirai owned a block of flats in Harare, a house in Glen Lorne, Harare, properties in Gutu, a house in Chitungwiza, Gardiff Farm and had shares in many companies, according to papers presented in court.

Tungamirai had six children — three boys Thomas, Tawanda, and Tamuka and three girls Tendai, Tapiwa and Tafadzwa.

All the children were said to have different mothers except Tendai and Tapiwa.

Tungamirai had no child with Pamela, his wife at the time of his death.

When Tungamirai died in 2005, the late General Solomon Mujuru was appointed executor of the estate. After Mujuru’s death, Thomas took over as executor, but was later removed by the High Court to pave way for an independent executor, Oliver Masomera, after family objections.

But before Mujuru’s death, Masomera produced a will that gave Thomas and Tawanda the right to the property.

The will was, however, rejected because it did not recognise Tungamirai’s surviving spouse, Pamela, as a beneficiary and also left out other children and Tungamirai’s brother, Tadious, who donated a kidney to the late general before his death.

“When Masomera was appointed, he first made us to sign consent to sell a block of flats. After we signed the consent, he told us that the will was now valid. We don’t know how the will had been authenticated and why?” one of Tungamirai’s sons who requested anonymity told NewsDay.

Soon after the death of the former Air Marshal, Thomas reportedly evicted Pamela from her matrimonial home in Glen Lorne. He is said to have also refused to pay back Pamela’s $30 000 loan to a local commercial bank.

“She (Pamela) left for the farm, but Thomas and Tawanda evicted her again. She left all her belongings at the farm and lived in a rented house in Eastlea until she died in 2010. Her clothes are still at the farm to this day,” the son added.

“This is despite that both Thomas and Tawanda were raised by her.”

In court papers gleaned by NewsDay, Pamela said she felt betrayed by both Thomas and Tawanda’s behaviour.

Pamela, who did not have a child of her own, raised Thomas whose mother died during the liberation struggle.

Tawanda was only surrendered to her by her mother from the rural areas at the age of four. A close source told NewsDay that records at the Master of High Court showed that the will was validated in 2008.

But letters by Tamuka to Mtetwa and Nyambirai legal practitioners, who represented Pamela before her death, showed that the she was not aware that the will had been validated.

Masomera said he would not discuss his client’s affairs as he was bound by confidentiality laws.