News / Local
Man claims wife dead, sells house
25 Feb 2016 at 05:56hrs | Views
A 74-YEAR-OLD woman faces eviction from her matrimonial home after her estranged husband of 52 years claimed she was dead and sold their house in Bulawayo.
The buyer had given the woman up to the end of January this year to move out but is yet to evict her.
Auxilia Masimba of Nketa suburb told The Chronicle that her husband, Edward, sold their house for $20,000.
She said it was not the first time Edward had sold the house after claiming she was dead.
Last year, Auxilia said, he sold it for $15,000, 14 years after he walked out of their matrimonial home with their house maid.
"He was arrested for fraud and ordered by a magistrate to repay the money to the duped buyer before he was slapped with a peace order. I'm shocked he has done it again," said a distraught Auxilia.
She said she found out about "the fraudulent sale" of the house through a phone call from her tenants while she was at her rural home in Gutu. "My tenants called me saying an 'estate agent' was evicting them because the house had been sold. The 'agent' left a hand written letter demanding that I leave the house by end of January because Edward had sold the house to an Edzani Nleya," Auxilia said.
The "agent" stated in the letter, seen by The Chronicle, that he was amazed that she was still in the house after she had been asked to leave many times.
"Last year when he sold the house, I went to legal advisors with our marriage certificate which resulted in his arrest. He has frequently collected rentals from our tenants although we didn't necessarily have a written agreement and I didn't have a problem with that arrangement. This was until last year when he sold the house," said Auxilia.
Edward, speaking from his rural home in Filabusi, denied selling the house. "I'm out of the house issue because I was arrested last year over it. Our daughters are behind the scam now," he told The Chronicle.
He said Auxilia had walked out of their home leaving him with their eight children and a maid whom he later married.
"Our children decided that I should marry the woman who was taking care of them. I then decided to leave the house. I admit to having sold the house last year but it didn't end well and now I don't go there or communicate with Auxilia," said Edward.
One of their children, Eddy, told The Chronicle that their father was not being truthful. "He has sold the house before and has done it again. We've all moved out of the house leaving our mother there with tenants so that she survives from the rentals. He isn't being frank," he said.
The buyer had given the woman up to the end of January this year to move out but is yet to evict her.
Auxilia Masimba of Nketa suburb told The Chronicle that her husband, Edward, sold their house for $20,000.
She said it was not the first time Edward had sold the house after claiming she was dead.
Last year, Auxilia said, he sold it for $15,000, 14 years after he walked out of their matrimonial home with their house maid.
"He was arrested for fraud and ordered by a magistrate to repay the money to the duped buyer before he was slapped with a peace order. I'm shocked he has done it again," said a distraught Auxilia.
The "agent" stated in the letter, seen by The Chronicle, that he was amazed that she was still in the house after she had been asked to leave many times.
"Last year when he sold the house, I went to legal advisors with our marriage certificate which resulted in his arrest. He has frequently collected rentals from our tenants although we didn't necessarily have a written agreement and I didn't have a problem with that arrangement. This was until last year when he sold the house," said Auxilia.
Edward, speaking from his rural home in Filabusi, denied selling the house. "I'm out of the house issue because I was arrested last year over it. Our daughters are behind the scam now," he told The Chronicle.
He said Auxilia had walked out of their home leaving him with their eight children and a maid whom he later married.
"Our children decided that I should marry the woman who was taking care of them. I then decided to leave the house. I admit to having sold the house last year but it didn't end well and now I don't go there or communicate with Auxilia," said Edward.
One of their children, Eddy, told The Chronicle that their father was not being truthful. "He has sold the house before and has done it again. We've all moved out of the house leaving our mother there with tenants so that she survives from the rentals. He isn't being frank," he said.
Source - chronicle
