THE dispute over the late property tycoon Edward Nyanyiwa Sr’s multi-million-dollar estate has escalated, with one of his daughters fighting forgery allegations.
The mogul was commonly known as Eddies Pfugari before he died in 2019.
Naume Makumbe, the 57-year-old daughter of Pfugari Sr, has been accused of using a forged marriage certificate to claim part of the US$48 million fortune.
She denies the charges, as she prepares to fight back during a court appearance on January 17.
The state alleges that between April and October 2019, Makumbe tendered at the Master of the High Court a fake marriage certificate of her late mother, Mildred Nyanyiwa, and her father to substantiate her claim to the estate.
Investigations reportedly revealed that the certificate’s signatures did not match official records.
The Zimbabwe Independent is in possession of documents alleging the certificate was not registered with the Registrar of Marriages, further raising suspicion.
“Additionally, I was arrested for fraud in 2022, and while on bail, my brother and cousin went to Makombe Building. They paid the required fee, obtained a receipt, and retrieved a duplicate marriage certificate.”
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The Independent has obtained copies of the receipt and the marriage certificate stamped on April 14, 2023, by the Registrar of Marriages.
It says: “This is to certify that the document over page is a true copy of the original/duplicate file of record in the marriage registry of Zimbabwe. Given under my hand in Harare, Zimbabwe this 14th day of April 2023.”
Makumbe said the documents could be verified at Makombe.
She also refuted claims that her mother was only customarily married to Pfugari.
“My mother’s death certificate bears the name Mildred Nyanyiwa, confirming her marriage to my father. This shows they were in a lawful union,” she said.
The legal battle is the latest of a long-standing feud among Pfugari’s descendants.
Since his passing, the siblings have clashed over the vast property portfolio, which includes residential developments in several parts of Zimbabwe.
Makumbe’s brother Edward Nyanyiwa Jr, who surfaced in Zimbabwe in 1998 claiming to be Pfugari’s son from their father’s relationship with South African Heasebia Phafane, has also been a central figure in the disputes.
This interpretation implied that Nyany iwa Jr’s mother’s marriage to Pfugari lacked legal standing, effectively denying her any claim to the estate.
He has faced accusations of trying to exclude his siblings from their father’s estate.
A letter dated January 27, 2021, from the Zimbabwe Inheritance Services (ZIS) to Messrs Danziger and Partners, referenced the proprietary consequences of Pfugari’s civil marriage to Mildred Nyanyiwa.
This interpretation implied that Nyanyiwa Jr’s mother’s marriage to Pfugari lacked legal standing, effectively denying her any claim to the estate.
In court papers, Edward Jr had claimed legitimacy as Pfugari’s son, arguing that his mother’s marriage was valid.
However, legal documents countered his assertions, affirming that Pfugari’s civil marriage to Mildred Nyanyiwa remained binding at the time.
This decision impacted Edward Jr’s standing, as his claims of exclusivity over the estate have been widely contested, with other siblings accusing him of attempting to disinherit them.
The letter states: “Our understanding of the late Edward Nyanyiwa’s marriage to your client is that it was a no marriage at all for inheritance purposes since Nyanyiwa had a subsisting civil marriage with Mildred Nyanyiwa at the time he purported to enter into a marriage with your client.”
This meant the rejection of the 50% claim made by Edward Jr which he had claimed using his mother’s marriage certificate.
